Race across Rainbows
by Prince Izzy X
Summary: [Slash: Lotto] Lars challenges Otto to the most popular game in town. The stipulation: The loser has to tell the winner his most valuable secret. But is there more to this than simple blackmail?
1. Intro: Half and Half

Disclaimer: Nothing that is copyrighted belongs to me. Only myself & my fan character(s). This goes for the whole fic. And if by some weird twist of fate, this fic breaks any of this site's childish and unfair rules, **_please do the courteous thing and tell me in a review what I did wrong_.** If it doesn't ruin the artistic quality of the fic, I'll fix it **_ASAP_**. I'm usually on all day. **_At least give me a chance to fix the problem before reporting me_.**

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Intro

Half and Half

The camera turned on in the studio. At the moment, it was empty, except for Izzy and I. I was wearing a director's outfit while Izzy was wearing a black shirt and a pair of green shorts. We were standing in front of a movie screen, getting ready to start another fic in the Rocket Power Dimension. I decided to stay a little longer before actually going to another dimension. I think I can do some more research here before leaving.

"Is everybody in place?" I asked my partner.

"The great Lars and Otto are getting ready." Izzy replied. "Twister and the rest are all set." I crossed my arms.

"They better hurry up! I want this intro to go through without a hitch." I yelled impatiently.

Just then, Izzy's cell phone rings. He fished it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Yeah?" The person on the other end said something. "Alright." Izzy hung up and turned to me. "Ok. They're all set."

"Good. Let's get rolling!" I shouted cheerfully.

We turned to the movie screen.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

In a city far away from Ocean Shores, a figure was seen standing on top of a bridge. It's currently night. The camera did a close up on the figure to show that it's Lars, wearing his roller blades. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed. Soon, his eyes opened with a glare.

The camera switched to Otto, who was blading down a highway. He then looked up at the direction of the bridge. The camera went to a red background, in which he showed up, giving the camera a cool hand gesture.

The camera switched back to Lars, who uncrossed his arms and jumped off screen. It then switched to a purple background, in which the brunet showed up, giving the camera a thumbs-up.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

We go back to Otto, who jumped and flipped over a barricade before going back to skating.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Sam jumped down from the top of the screen, which has a yellow background. He then gave a thumbs-up.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Lars was now grinding down the suspension cable of the bridge.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

The camera switched to Tito, who crossed his arms in front of a red-orange background.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Otto jumped and grinded the wall of the highway before jumping up off it and continuing on.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

In front of a blue background, Twister appeared, seemingly barking at the camera (o.O).

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

We go back to Lars, who jumped lightly off the cable before going back to grinding.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

In front of a lavender background, Reggie showed up, gave a thumbs-up, and winked.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

"Live and learn!" A chorus sang.

Otto reached the end of the highway and jumped. Meanwhile, Lars was nearing the end of the cable.

"Live and Learn!"

Lars reached the end and jumped as well. Both of them were then seen flying past each other in front of the full moon.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

"And… Cut! Beautiful work!" I said as the screen faded.

The camera faced Izzy, who crossed his arms and turned to me with a glare.

"You just can't leave that poor horse alone, can you?" He asked icily. Clearly he was pissed about that blatant Sonic reference.

The camera turned to me. I was beating a dead horse while wearing boxing gloves.

"_What!.?_ Can I help it if I love making references to that series?" I defended.

"Ugh!" My partner groaned, slapping his head. I turned to the camera.

"Anyway, welcome to fic!" I took off the gloves. "This fic features the coupling of Lars/Otto."

"Does that mean…?" Izzy started nervously. I nodded.

"It's a slash fic."

"Bye!" He yelled before running away. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the back of his shirt. Izzy continued trying to escape for a minute or so before I flung him over my head.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!.!.!" He screamed as he flew through the air. He then remembered the intro to Rocketmon. "Oh wait, that means I'm not gonna be in this fic much! Yes!"

°CRASH!°

I turned to the camera.

"Anyway, this fic calls for me to toss out one of our normal stars." Izzy staggered back to me. He was covered in trash.

"Is that even legal in fan fiction?" He asked as he picked a banana peel out of his hair. I shrugged in response.

"Who knows? If my idea calls for tossing someone out, then I'm tossing someone out."

"So who's getting the boot?"

"Well, we can't toss out the great Lars or Otto, so that leaves three options." I snapped my fingers and a wheel appeared. Izzy raised an eyebrow at me.

"The Wheel of Plotlines?"

"I modified the wheel a little so that we could make the decision."

There were three panels on the wheel. Pictured on them were Twister, Sam, and Reggie's faces. As always, a ? block was floating by the wheel.

"Whoever the wheel lands on will be tossed out of the fic, but that's not all!" I started, sounding like a game show host. "The character chosen will win an all expenses paid trip to Oahu, Hawaii!"

Izzy pouted at that info. I gave him a sidelong glance.

"You went there once before." I reminded him about our last adventure.

"But that was a business trip and you know it!" He shot back. I only rolled my eyes.

"Get under that block."

Izzy walked over to the ? block.

"Start it up." He said.

The wheel started spinning. After a few moments, Izzy hit the ? block, causing the wheel to slow down and land on Twister. His panel lit up.

"Well whaddya know, our favorite cameraman is the winner!" I shouted. "Come up on stage!" Twister entered the studio and walked up to us.

"Yeah! I knew I was gonna win!" He cheered, punching the air. "So where's my ticket?" I snickered mischievously.

"Oh, you're not going on a plane."

The boy in the striped hat raised an eyebrow at me.

"Then how am I getting there?" He asked. I only snapped my fingers in response.

A few seconds passed before the piece of floor Twister was standing on sprung up, sending him flying. He crashed through the roof as he ascended into the stratosphere.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" His scream echoed as he became a star in the sky.

Izzy turned to me with an eyebrow raised.

"What?" I asked.

"That was the perfect opportunity for a Team Rocket joke and you didn't do it?"

"It wouldn't kill me if I didn't do it just this once." I answered with a shrug. I gave him an evil smirk. "Why? You want me to bring him back and do it?"

"NO!.!.!" Izzy screamed before sighing. "Now I'm glad you didn't decide to toss _me_ out."

I turned to the camera.

"Anyway, we'll be right back with Chapter One! Oh, and if you're wondering about the intro's title, it's because half of it had _nothing_ to do with the story while the other half did."


	2. The Bet

Pre-chapter Conversation

"I can't believe you're actually doing another Lars/Otto fic." Izzy said to me.

"What's wrong with doing another Lars/Otto fic?" I asked innocently. "This fandom needs a whole lot more of these, anyway, not to mention fics for other slash couplings."

"But what about the age gap?" My partner asked. I waved a dismissive hand.

"That's easy to overcome."

"Whatever." Izzy sighed. "So what's the plot of this fic?"

"Basically, the great Lars will challenge Otto to a race in the most popular game in town. But there's a stipulation: The loser has to tell the winner his darkest secret."

"So what's the game?"

"In due time. In fact, the gamers in the audience should be able to guess the game or at least the series immediately because of the fic's title." I answered. "One more thing before we begin, here are the ages for the remaining characters in the fic:

Otto and Sam: 18

Reggie: 19

The great Lars: 21"

Izzy's eyes widened.

"_Twenty-one!.?_"

I shrugged. "Give me a break. At least I made Otto eighteen. That makes everything all nice and legal." I turned to the camera. "And another thing, this fic also features the secondary coupling of Sam/Reggie. Enjoy!"

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Race across Rainbows

Chapter One

The Bet

°First Person POV°

"I'm so alone." I said to myself as I sat on a bench at the strip. I looked to my right and saw movers carrying huge boxes into a building that used to be abandoned. I heard it was bought by a couple of guys. But why, I have no clue. I got up from my spot on the bench and walked home.

It was true. I am alone. My friends, or lackeys, depending on your point of view, have long since either moved out of the coastal town I call home, or are rotting in some jail. I forget which.

I guess I should tell you my name before we continue. It's Rodriguez, Lars Rodriguez. I'm currently twenty-one. I'm a sophomore in college, but right now, it's my summer break. I'm pretty close to six feet tall. I have dark brown hair and a dark tan. I wear a purple shirt with a yellow star pictured on it. I outgrew the one with a red star on it. I'm also wearing a pair of blue baggy shorts and white sneakers. Finally, I'm wearing the same gray hat I had since I was a kid.

Well now that I think about it, I'm not really alone. I mean, I got my family. My mom and dad, who are on their second honeymoon, and my younger brother, who has gone to Hawaii to see his boyfriend… Keoni, was it? Man, I'm jealous of him. Not only does he get to go to the hottest vacation spot in the world, again, but he has someone who cares for him. I used to have someone who cared for me, but we broke up because of… Hmmmm… Why _did_ we break up in the first place?

Anyway, that Twister… How does he do it? I heard that long distance relationships always fall through, but they've been together for years. Not to mention it's hell on Mom and Dad's wallet.

So I guess I _am_ alone, after all.

By now, I reached the cul-de-sac where I lived. I walked up to the door of my house and grabbed the knob. I was about to turn it when I let go.

"Ugh… I don't want to be alone in that house right now." I grumbled as I walked back down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I looked around for something to do. Then I laid eyes on _that_ house. The one right in front of me. With a ship's bow serving as the patio. I shrugged and walked towards the front door.

Scratch my previous statement. I'm not _completely_ alone. I forgot some people. That little dork's friends. Actually, they're my friends as well. We used to fight years ago, but I've grown up a bit and apologized to them. We became good friends and now, I hang around with them whenever I'm not busy with school or whatever.

I walked up to the door and knocked on it.

"Come in!" I heard a female voice yell. I smiled as I let myself in. I walked into the living room and saw two of my brother's friends playing some video game. I decided to just stand and watch.

On the screen, which was split in two, two teams of two were racing in pretty strange-looking cars. On the top screen was an old-looking car that looked like it belonged to a rich person. Driving it was what looked like a princess wearing a yellow dress. In the back of it was a pink monster with a ribbon on its head. On the bottom screen was a tank-like car that was made to look like a monster. Driving it was a fat guy wearing purple and yellow. In back was a small turtle wearing a green shell. It was balancing a stack of red turtle shells in its right hand. They all seemed to be racing in a snowy track.

"Hey Lars." The female of the two started before turning to the guy sitting next to her. "You're not gonna beat me this time!"

That was Reggie. She's a bit smaller than me and has purple hair. Recently, she started wearing it long. I guess she got tired of being a "tomboy," like my cousin Clio always called her. She's a couple of years younger than me, but she's still as beautiful as ever. Remember the someone who cared for me that I used to have? That's her.

"How's it going?" The guy said to me before turning to Reggie. "I'll beat ya hands down!"

And _that_ was Sam, the "Squid," Reggie's new boyfriend. I know what you're thinking. I couldn't figure out what they saw in each other either. I think it's probably a personality thing or some romantic crap. That and they're both pretty smart, not to give the Squid too much credit, of course. Anyway, Squid has gotten better-looking in the last few years. He went on a diet and is now slim, which I'm glad for. Although we broke up, I refuse to allow Reggie to date a slob who happens to work with computers. Also, Squid got rid of the buzz cut he had and let his blond hair grow. He was still much shorter than his girlfriend.

Back in the race, Reggie's team, which was in the top screen, was far ahead of Squid's team. Her team drove through a row of boxes with question marks on them. After a few seconds, a pink, polka-dotted egg appeared in the pink monster's hands. They were nearing another group of boxes when suddenly the princess and the monster got out of their seats and switched positions, while the car was still moving! They drove past the boxes and the princess got a banana placed into her hands.

'_Weird._' I thought.

Anyway, Reggie's team drove onto an icy path that had giant things that looked like icebergs sliding along it. Suddenly, her car was struck by lightning, making it shrink. The car spun out of control and hit one of those icebergs. The car was instantly frozen.

'_This is one freaky game right here!_' I thought, watching this.

On Squid's screen, his car was getting close to where Reggie was. He made the turtle in back fire a shell just before switching with his other character. His team drove through a block and the fat guy got a shell with spikes and wings. Reggie's team broke out of the ice just in time to get hit by the shell. Squid then launched the spiked shell. It soared through the air and right into Reggie's car, causing an explosion of blue smoke. The classic-looking car was tossed into the air, allowing the tank to pass her and cross the finish line.

"Man, I didn't see that shell coming. Good race, Sammy." Reggie said with a grin.

"Yeah. Same here, Reg." Squid replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. I can't help but feel jealous. I can't stand not having anyone sometimes. "I'm going into the kitchen. Do you want anything?" He asked, getting up.

"Just a soda, thanks." Reggie answered.

"What about you, Lars?"

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Do you want anything from the kitchen?" Squid asked, giving me a strange look.

"Nah. I'm cool." I replied casually. He nodded and left to go into the kitchen.

"So what's up?" Reggie asked, switching the VCR off and putting the TV on mute. I sighed as I joined her on the couch.

"It's just that—" I was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"Hey guys." I felt my breath catch in my throat at the sound of that voice. Slowly, I turned my head and looked at _him_.

Otto Rocket, the most beautiful boy on the face of the earth. His fiery red dreadlocks hung down the side of his head, one or two of them getting in the way of his gorgeous eyes, which were further blocked from my view by those damn sunglasses. How I would love to run my hand through those locks and stare into those eyes forever. Despite the fact that he was the shortest one in their group as a kid, next to the Squid, he has grown to be _much_ taller than Reggie. He'll probably outgrow me by a few inches by the time he reaches my age. His cinnamon-colored skin is still the same as I remembered.

Oh yeah… _Now _I remember why Reggie and I broke up. I realized about a year into our relationship that I was bi when I found myself often looking at this fine specimen of a skater. If Otto ever walked into the room while Reggie and I were talking, I would completely tune her out and watch the smaller boy's movements without moving my face towards him. Luckily, no one ever found out about my… I guess you could call it a crush. Of course, Reggie thought I was ignoring her completely and because of that, we fought a lot, so we broke it off. As you probably guessed, we patched things up and we hang out together. Of course I haven't told anyone about my preference or that I was in love with the boy.

Yes, you heard—or read—right. Lars Rodriguez, the toughest kid in Ocean Shores, is in love with his rival, Otto Rocket, the greatest athlete in town.

Right now, he was wearing a blue shirt and a pair of red shorts. He was also wearing a dirty pair of white sneakers. No matter what he wears, he looks good. Ugh! I sound like some girl or something.

"Uhh… Hello? You in there, Lars?" I broke out of my trance and looked sheepishly at the auburn haired boy of my dreams. I found him looking at me as strangely as Squid was a second ago.

"Heh. Heh. Sorry about that." I said with a nervous chuckle. I could feel my face heating up as I turned away and faced the TV. I heard footsteps go past me and up the stairs. I resisted the urge to look at his retreating form. I sighed with relief when I heard his bedroom door close.

"So, would you mind telling me what that was about?" I turned towards Reggie with a goofy smile on my face. Sheesh. I must've looked pathetic right there. I've seen Twister with grins more serious than that. I waved my arms frantically.

"Oh it's nothing!" I said as quickly as possible. Reggie crossed her arms, clearly not believing a word.

"Uh-huh… And you call your face being red 'nothing'?"

Damn! I thought for sure I would've calmed down. I turned my attention to the floor. I shouldn't be thinking about him like that in the first place. I felt Reggie put an arm on my shoulder.

"Lars, what's going on with you?" I turned to her, probably feeling stupid for what I'm about to say, but if I don't tell somebody, I'm going to go insane! I sighed and faced her.

"Reggie, there's something I have to you." I started, breathing heavily. Please don't toss me out of the house. I won't have anybody to turn to if that happens.

"Lars, relax and tell me slowly." She said. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly. It was now or never.

"Ok. Just promise you won't freak out."

"Alright. I promise." She replied. I mumbled my response. "What?" I repeated, getting a little louder. "I'm sorry?"

"I love Otto." I finally said in a high enough volume for her to hear. She gasped.

"YOU'RE GA—MMPH!.!.!" I covered her mouth before she could finish that sentence.

"Is everything ok in there?" Squid asked as he looked in. Otto also cracked open his door to take a look. I chuckled nervously as I let go of Rocket Girl.

"Yeah. Everything is just _peachy_." I glared at the girl, who suddenly flushed red with embarrassment. The other two shrugged and went back to their business. I sighed as I sat back down.

"Thanks a lot." I said, crossing my arms.

"Sorry about that, but how? I mean you, Lars, the biggest bully in Ocean Shores, in love with _Otto_? How? When did _that_ happen? And since when were you gay?" She whispered. Again, I glared at her.

"First of all, I'm bi and don't forget it. Second…" I suddenly blushed. What would she say if I told her when I _did_ develop a crush on him? She looked at me expectantly. I sighed.

"I fell in love with him a year into our relationship." I closed my eyes, expecting a good, hard slap across the face.

°SLAP!°

Yep. She didn't disappoint. I winced as I rubbed my left cheek, which probably had her handprint on it.

"Well, at least now I know why you stopped paying attention to me." She started. "Now we have to think of a way to get you and my brother together." I gaped at her.

"_What?.!_ Who said I wanted to get with him?.!" I hissed. She only glared at me.

"I could see it plain as day. The way you were staring at him." I blushed for the third time in five minutes.

"Was I _that_ obvious?" She nodded.

"Now help me think." She said. Man, I hate it when she gets like that. I put a hand to my chin to try to think of something, but nothing came up. Only the burning pain Reggie's slap left in my cheek. We stayed silent for a few more minutes when she stood up.

"I got it!" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?"

"You know how you always challenged Otto to stuff when you guys were younger?" She asked.

"Yeah…" I nodded. "What about it?"

"Duh! All you have to do is challenge him to something and make a bet. You know he never backs down from a challenge."

"What kind of bet?" I asked.

"I don't know. Something along the lines of the loser has to tell the winner something private."

"Oh, you mean like his worst secret?"

"Exactly!" Reggie answered with another grin.

"And what makes you think he's gay?" I asked. I knew damn well that there was no way he'd have the same feelings for me as I do for him. I'm starting to regret telling her in the first place.

"I honestly wouldn't be too surprised." Reggie said thoughtfully. "He didn't have any girlfriends in high school. Also, he hasn't seemed to be looking for anybody since he started college."

"Hmmmm… But what do I challenge him to?" I asked, still not believing the possibility of him being gay. Reggie didn't seem to have an answer. We stayed silent for a few minutes before we heard the sound of a door close and someone coming down the stairs.

"I'm gonna go surfing." Otto announced. I turned and my eyes went wide. When the hell did he get so good looking!.?.!

He was just wearing a pair of purple swimming trunks almost identical to the ones he had as a kid. He had tight abs and a washboard stomach. If we were in one of those Japanese cartoons, I'm pretty sure my nose would have started gushing blood. For my sake, I had to turn away before I started drooling. I was sure Otto gave me an odd glance as he started walking towards the door.

"Lars! Now's your chance." Reggie whispered to me. I gathered up my courage and got up from the couch.

"O-Otto?" I said with a squeaky voice.

"Yeah?" The hottest boy in the world asked as he turned towards me. I gulped and tried to focus on the task at hand. I suddenly found myself glaring and crossing my arms.

"I challenge you!" I yelled. Otto looked shocked. I was sure Reggie and probably Squid had the same expression, but I didn't care.

"Err… Ok. To what?" The redheaded beauty asked in confusion. I started sweating. I still had no idea what I wanted to challenge him to. I frantically looked around before I found a case on the table. It must've been for the game Reggie and Squid were playing. I quickly read off the name.

"'Mario Kart: Double Dash?'"

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I only glared in response.

"That's right! I challenge you to a race in this game!" I held up the case.

"A video game? You want me to play you in a _video game_?" Otto asked dubiously. I had to admit, he was right. What the hell was I thinking? I have no idea how to play this, but I couldn't back down now.

"Yeah, a video game! Why? You afraid to race me, _Rocket Dork_!.?"

I heard everybody gasp at that one. I hadn't used that name in years. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings. It seemed like I didn't because the next moment, he gave me a dirty look.

"Fine! I'll race you!" He barked with much ice in his voice. It didn't matter to me though. I then remembered the other part of Reggie's plan.

"Good. And just to make things interesting, the loser has to tell the winner his most cherished secret." I saw his eyes widen for a moment but he quickly regained his glare.

"Alright. It's a bet. We'll race in a week." He said. I grinned. That'll be more than enough time to practice.

"Cool." I shook his hand, almost melting at the warmth. When we let go of each other, he picked up his surfboard and walked out the door. I sighed as I moved towards Reggie, who still had a look of shock.

"L-Lars, what was that about?"

"Sorry. I just lost it." I replied. I thought for a moment. "Uhh…Reg?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you teach me how to play this?" I gave her a lopsided grin as I held up the case again. She sighed and held her forehead with a hand.

"Yeah, but not now. Sam and I were in the middle of a tournament when you came in." I raised an eyebrow at her. Since when did she play those games like that, anyway?

"Tomorrow, then?" I asked.

"Sure, but we shouldn't do it here. After all, you wouldn't want Otto to find out your strategy." She winked at me. I guess she was right, but strategy?

"What did you mean by 'strategy'?"

"Don't worry. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. In the meantime, we have to decide where you could go to practice."

"How about that new place?" Sam spoke up. We turned towards him. I hope he didn't catch too much of our conversation.

"What new place?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Sam pointed at the TV, which was showing a commercial. Different pictures of video games were being shown. Reggie picked up the remote and raised the volume.

"_…And many more games can be found at the Yaoi Brothers Arcade._" A male voice said. The TV showed some pictures from, I guess, that Mario Kart game. "_Remember, that's the Yaoi Brothers Arcade, located at the strand. Come on down for our Grand Opening fifty percent off special._" The screen faded and a surfing show came on.

"'Yaoi Brothers'?" I repeated. Now where have I heard that word before?

"Hmmm… They've been showing that commercial all week. I guess it's finally been completed." Sam muttered.

"So how about it, Lars? You want to go to that new arcade?" Reggie asked. I nodded.

"Yeah." I replied, clenching a fist. "I'm gonna train and then I'll beat Otto! Thanks a lot, Reg!" I said as I left. I only hoped that I wasn't in over my head and that Otto will be mine.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

°Third Person POV°

"Reg, what was that whole thing about?" Sam asked, sitting down next to Reggie. They got ready to start playing again.

"I'll tell ya all about it later." Reggie replied as she picked up her controller.

Elsewhere…

"What was with him?" Otto asked himself as he sat at the beach. "He just called me a dork like I was still eleven."

He hugged his legs and gave a heavy sigh.

"But why does it make me feel like this? Just because he hasn't called me that in years… I thought I earned his respect."

He blinked.

"Woah… Where did _that_ come from!" Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he paddled out and started surfing.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

A/N:

Well, that's it for the first chapter. Sorry if I made anybody sound terribly out of character. Anyway, will Lars' training go over well? What is the Yaoi Bros. Arcade like? Hell, who would actually name themselves "The Yaoi Bros.!.?" Find out next time!


	3. Meet the Yaoi Bros

Pre-chapter Conversation

"Boss, question." Izzy said.

"What?" I asked.

"To continue a previous conversation we had, what would ya name the main coupling for this fic?"

I held a hand to my chin. What conversation was he talking about? Oh yeah! I snapped my fingers. He was talking about chapter three of The Runaway.

"If the great Lars winds up being the dominant guy in the relationship, the coupling would be called 'Lotto.'" I replied. Izzy punched the air.

"Jackpot!" He chuckled. A few seconds passed before he raised an eyebrow at me. "…Hey! What do ya mean 'if?' Is it even possible for Otto to be dominant in a relationship with Lars?" I shrugged.

"Just saying. Besides Izzy, you're my muse. Use your imagination." I answered. "In any case, if Otto winds up being dominant, the coupling would be called 'Oars.'"

"At least those names make more sense than the other names you came up with so far." He said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah…" I turned to the camera. "Anyway, this is going to be a Lotto fic. Enjoy the chapter, everybody!"

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Race across Rainbows

Chapter Two

Meet the Yaoi Bros.

The next day…

"_Tell me again, Reg, because I swear, I don't get it._" Sam's voice said to Reggie. She was talking on the phone in her room while getting ready.

"For the fifth time, Sammy, Lars is in love with Otto and I'm gonna help them get together." She replied with exasperation heavy in her voice.

"_Alright. …Tell me again._" Reggie sighed.

"I'm going to pick up Lars in a few to go to that arcade so he could practice."

"_But what about Lars?_"

"What about him?"

"_What if this is all a trick and he just wants you to get back together with him?_"

Reggie laughed at the urgency in Sam's voice.

"Are you _afraid_?"

"_What? **Me**, afraid? Not a chance. It's just that…_"

"Yes…?" Reggie asked, enjoying hearing her boyfriend sweat. Sam sighed.

"_Ok. Maybe I'm a **little** scared, but Lars is bi? Where did **that** come from?_"

"Sam, are you going to keep asking the same thing or are you gonna chill?"

"_I'll chill. Sorry._" Sam replied sheepishly.

"Good. Now I need you to do something for me."

"_Sure. What is it?_"

"If Otto comes to your place, teach him how to play." Reggie replied. Sam hesitated a bit.

"_Alright._" He finally said.

"And don't let him come to the arcade, no matter what."

"_You're gonna go there **every** day?.!_"

"It's just for this week, until they race." Reggie could hear Sam pouting because she added, "And besides, it'll only be during the day, so we'll be able to spend time together at night."

"_You promise?_" Sam sniffed. Reggie couldn't help but giggle a little at that.

"I promise. Love you."

"_Love you, too._" Sam replied and they hung up.

"Now to deal with Lars." Reggie said to herself as she grabbed her purse and her skating gear before leaving her room.

On her way out, she saw Otto getting ready to go out skating.

"Hey Rocket Boy."

"Huh?" Startled, Otto looked up and turned to his sister. "Oh, hey Rocket Girl. Where are you going?"

"Just out. See ya later." Reggie answered as she walked out of the house.

'_I wonder what he was thinking about._'

Shrugging, she went around the house to wait for Otto to leave. After a few minutes, he emerged and skated down the hill. When she was sure he was gone, Reggie made her way over to Lars' house. She walked up to the door and knocked on it. A few minutes later, a disheveled brunet answered the door.

"Reg? What are you doing here so early?" He asked with a yawn. Reggie waved her hand in front of her nose.

"Man! You need to brush your teeth!" She said, getting a glare in the process. "I'm here to take ya to the Yaoi Brothers Arcade, remember?" Lars grumbled in response.

"Uhh… Reg, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this whole thing." Now it was Reggie's turn to glare.

"You are _not_ backing out of this!" She shouted. "You're gonna race him and you're gonna win his heart!" Lars raised both eyebrows at her before standing straight up.

"Yes sir!" He saluted. Reggie glared at him again. "Err… I mean ma'am."

"That's better. And another thing," She started as she walked past him into the house. "Since when were you a quitter, anyway?" Lars rubbed the back of his head before putting on a look of pride.

"I never quit anything!" He said before laughing heartily. Reggie raised an eyebrow at him. He coughed. "Sorry, but how can you honestly think Otto's gay?.!"

"It could happen!" Reggie shot back. "Besides, who honestly thought you were bi?" Lars looked down.

"Alright, alright. Just let me take a shower and I'll be all set to go." He left the violet haired girl alone and got ready. She sat down on the couch and put a hand to her chin.

"Hey, what does yaoi mean, anyway?"

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

°Lars' POV°

After I took my shower and got my clothes on, Reggie and me left to go to this arcade. We were in our roller blades, skating along the strand. We soon found a tall building at the end far behind the Shack. It was at least seven stories tall. It's hard to believe we didn't notice it until we got to the strand. I mean, the place even looks weird! The whole thing looked like a castle from some really old game that I may have played when I was younger. There was even a huge flagpole. At the top was a green flag that had a skull on it.

"Is that it?" I asked, royally freaked out by the building.

"Yep. According to that sign, it is." Reggie answered.

I looked up and saw a neon sign above the entrance. It read, "Yaoi Bros. Arcade." And below it was a banner that read, "GRAND OPENING!.!.! This week only! 50 percent off!"

We sat down at a bench and took off our skates. After getting our shoes on, we stood up and turned back to the arcade.

"Ladies first." I said, holding an arm out towards the entrance. Reggie giggled.

"Why thank you." She replied as she started walking. "This is just like old times, huh?"

"I guess…" I said with a shrug. "Except for the fact you're helping me get with your brother."

We stepped through a pair of electronic doors. We were instantly hit with a cool breeze. Must've been the AC. In the hall we were in, there were many posters of video games. A few featured some blue animal. Others had this guy in green. He was holding a sword and shield. And a few had those "Pokéman" things. There was also a case full of trophies.

'_Welcome to Geeksville. Population: Me and Reg._'

That was the very first thought that went through my head. Sam would feel right at home here. I better not wind up seeing anybody dressed like plumbers. That's all I'm saying. We reached another set of electric doors that slid open for us. We walked through and found ourselves in what I guessed was the reception area of the arcade.

To my right was a counter. There were several stools in front of it. There were also a computer, cash register, and a bell. There was a menu behind it that had a bunch of video game characters pictured. There was a grill and fryer underneath that. To my left were a bunch of tables and pay phones. Ahead of me, down a small flight of stairs, were a bunch of arcade games. They were practically all over the place! In the center was a circle of games and above it was a stand with a huge gold statue of a porcupine! The quills in its head were spiked up and looking at the design, I'd say it has a bunch of hair on its chest. Its arms were crossed.

(A/N: If you've ever played Sonic Adventure 1/DX, the last part Lars just described is exactly like the area where the Sonic statue is in the Casinopolis stage. The main difference is instead of Sonic, the statue in the arcade is of Shadow.)

"Hello? Anybody here?" Reggie asked, looking around. I too looked around before I laid eyes on the bell.

"Guess we gotta ring it." I said as I walked towards the counter. I pressed the bell a few times.

Nothing happened for a few moments, but soon, the lights in our section of the arcade went off.

"What's going on?" Reggie asked as I backed up.

About a minute later, a light turned on over the counter, revealing two guys who had their backs turned and their arms crossed.

"Prepare for trouble." The taller of the two started. He had shoulder length black hair. He was also wearing a black shirt. He was a little shorter than me.

"Make it double." The smaller of the two said. Under his purple cap, I was able to see some black hair. He was wearing a blue shirt. He was at least as tall as Sam.

"To protect the world from boredom!"

"To unite all gamers within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of closed-minded people!"

"To extend gay love to the stars above!"

"Izzy!" The taller one turned around.

"Iggy!" The smaller one faced us as well. They both pointed at us.

"We're the Yaoi Brothers, gamers extraordinaire!"

"Surrender your bigotedness now or prepare to fight!"

"That's right!" They both ended, winking and giving us a thumbs-up. My mouth must've been hanging open, as was Reggie's.

'_Yep. Geeksville._' I confirmed mentally as the rest of the lights in the area turned back on.

°Third Person POV°

"Yes! I knew we'd get our motto right!" Iggy cheered as he punched the air. He was wearing a shirt with paratroopas (koopas with winged shells) pictured. They were flying around a bright blue sky. His cap had a purple I inside a white circle. Izzy sighed.

"So much for not doing a Team Rocket joke." He was wearing a shirt that had Team Dark (from Sonic Heroes) pictured.

"Come on, brother! We can't you like Dad's jokes?" Iggy asked. Izzy looked at him with wide eyes.

"'_Dad?.!_' You call _him_ our father!.?"

"Well why not? He created us, after all. Why don't you call him Dad, anyway?"

"Listen, you sixteen year-old nutcase, there's no way I'm ever calling the boss Dad! Not after what he put me through!" Izzy replied. Iggy glared at him.

"Just because you're two years older than me doesn't give you the right to call me names!" Izzy glared right back.

"I'll call you whatever I want. I'm the older brother and the owner of the arcade! And unless you want to live in the gutter, I suggest you shut your trap now!"

"Meanie!" Iggy said, sticking his tongue out at Izzy.

"Idiot!" Izzy retorted.

"Lame-o!"

"Dork!" They both faced each other with a cold glare, preparing to fight.

"STOP!" Reggie yelled. She walked up to the two brothers. "Is that any way to treat each other?"

Izzy and Iggy didn't pay any attention to her question. They just gave her a loving stare. They both grabbed her hands.

"What the—?" She asked with wide eyes.

"My dear, did anyone ever tell you that purple is the color of royalty?" Izzy asked, looking at Reggie's hair. He then looked into her eyes. "Would you like to become my queen?"

"Well I—"

"Buzz off!" Iggy yelled before turning to Reggie. "Maybe you'd be more willing to become my princess so that I could save you from evil giant turtle type things."

"Actually—" Reggie started.

"What!.?" Izzy shouted, pulling her left arm towards him. "What makes you think she'd what to be a lowly princess when she could be a queen?.!"

"She'd get a lot more fresh air!" Iggy replied, tugging on Reggie's right arm. "It's better than sitting on a throne all day!"

"Listen, Luigi, she's way too old for you!"

"_Luigi!.?_ I compared myself to _Mario_ right there, ya idiot!"

"Whatever! She's mine!" Izzy tugged harder on Reggie.

"No! She's mine!" Iggy also tugged harder.

"Mine!"

"No, mine!"

"STOP IT ALREADY!.!.!" Reggie roared, taking both arms back and giving both brothers a hard slap across the face. "I'm already taken!" The Yaoi Brothers gasped and sulked.

"Oh man… Shot down again. I wonder who the lucky guy is." Izzy said.

"It's probably that guy behind her." Iggy pointed at Lars. Izzy looked at him.

"Yeah. He's wearing the royal color, after all. He's probably her king."

Lars and Reggie turned to each other. They looked back at the brothers and pointed at each other.

"ME AND HER!.? NO WAY!.!.!"

"Oh, then what are you doing here with another guy, my dear?" Izzy asked with a coy smile. Reggie only glared at him.

"Don't call me that! I have a name ya know."

"Ahhh… What beauty." Iggy sighed. "Please, dear purple haired angel, tell us your name." The girl gagged at that one.

"Ugh… I already told you I'm taken. And my name's Reggie."

Both brothers sighed at that.

"Reggie… Have you ever heard a name more beautiful, brother?" Izzy asked.

"Not at all." Iggy replied.

"Hey, wait a sec!" Lars yelled. Reggie and the Yaoi Brothers turned to him. "_Now_ I remember what yaoi means! It's something that involves two guys getting together!"

Both brothers grinned.

"I was wondering when someone would catch that." Izzy said.

"Yeah! Everybody's been asking why we call ourselves the Yaoi Brothers since we opened the arcade." Iggy supplied.

"We're both big fans of yaoi." They both said at the same time.

"But if yaoi is something that involves gay guys…" Lars started.

"And you're brothers, then…" Reggie continued. They both looked at each other with wide eyes.

"EWWWWWW!.!.!.!.!" They both exclaimed. The brothers glared at them.

"First of all, sickos, we're not, nor have we ever been gay!" Izzy shouted.

"And even if we were, you have the nerve to think that me and him would do something like that!.?" Iggy added, pointing at himself and his brother.

"We oughta toss you both out for that insult." They both finished. Lars and Reggie immediately put on looks of fright.

"Crap! We can't get tossed out!" Reggie whispered to Lars. "You still need to practice!"

"I know!" Lars whispered back.

"Well? Apologize to them!" Lars turned to the brothers and put on the most apologetic look he can muster given the situation.

"I'm terribly sorry about that outburst. It's just that you caught us off guard. Please let us play your fine games." He said.

'_God, when did I become such a wuss?_' He thought.

He then started to wonder why he even thought that about the two teens in the first place. After all, _his _younger brother was gay and he was bi, yet he never even came close to thinking about Twister like that.

The Yaoi Brothers smiled.

"That's better. You're forgiven." The older one said.

"But there's something I don't get." Reggie started. "If you're not gay and, judging by what just happened, probably not bi either, then why would you be into that? I mean, no straight guy in their right mind would be into yaoi."

"Of course. A good question." Iggy replied. "It started with an experiment my brother wanted to perform. He thought that if girls and gay and bi guys can be into yaoi, then why not a straight guy?"

"Yep. It all started with me reading a yaoi story on the Internet." Izzy said. "Pretty soon, it exploded into a full fledged obsession. I even got Iggy here in on it. Of course, the obsession went no further than reading and writing stories and looking at light art."

"Our arcade even runs a yaoi fan club on the side." Iggy supplied. "We already got a few members. Pretty soon, all the gamers in this town will be yaoi fans!"

Both boys threw their heads back and laughed. Both Reggie and Lars raised an eyebrow at them.

"Can we go home?" Lars asked, turning to Reggie, who glared at him. He instantly shut his mouth. The brothers stopped laughing a minute or so later.

"So what's the _real_ reason you're fans of yaoi?" The violet haired girl asked, not believing a word of their story.

"The money." Izzy simply said.

"What?" Both Reggie and Lars asked.

"Do you know how much yaoi fan girls would pay for quality pictures of two guys kissing? Lots! You can get even more if the picture is of the very first kiss."

"We'll get tons of cash and rule the world of yaoi!" Iggy yelled.

'_I don't even want to get into how strange and wrong that is._' Lars thought, shaking his head. "I bet anything there's at least one more reason."

"Alright, alright." Izzy said. He then beckoned the two older people closer. Reggie and Lars moved until they were right at the counter. "Keep this under your hats, but this is a method to get girls."

"How?" Lars asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's easy." Iggy replied, waving a hand. "Girls nowadays like guys who are open minded and don't care about a person's sexuality and stuff like that. In fact, they _prefer_ it if you support a person in that situation."

Reggie had to think hard about that one.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked.

"Of course! We've read tons of books on dating and they all said the same thing: 'Girls like guys who are open minded.'" Izzy replied.

"Whatever." Reggie said, shrugging. "So anyway, forgetting about the random things that were just said for a few minutes, can we get to business?"

"Ah of course!" Izzy and Iggy replied before clearing their throats.

"I'm Izzy." The older one started.

"And I'm Iggy." The younger one continued.

"And we're the Yaoi Brothers, the owners of this fine arcade!" They both finished.

"We know that already." Reggie said through clenched teeth. The brothers took one look at her and backed away. Her face seemed to have an expression of SEVERE impatience.

"Err… Right. We knew that." Izzy said.

"Anyway, we have seven floors of gaming fun!" Iggy said, getting back into their sales pitch. "The first floor contains your average coin-operated games, as well as our dining area, for if you ever get tired and need recharging."

Reggie clenched her fists and started growling.

"The second floor contains our action/adventure games." Izzy continued, not noticing the girl's increasing anger. "The third floor is home to our party games."

"Reggie?" Lars asked, looking at the girl, whose face started getting red.

"And the fourth floor has our fighting games." Iggy said. Reggie started shaking. "The fifth floor has our puzzle games, if you ever want to test your intelligence, of course." He winked.

Lars backed away from the Rocket, who looked like she was going to explode. The brothers still took no notice.

"Uhh… Guys?" The oldest of the four said.

"Not now. We're getting to the good part." Izzy interrupted. "The sixth floor has the RPGs. Those are Role-Playing Games for those not in the know. And finally, the seventh floor—" He couldn't finish for Reggie had grabbed his shirt.

"I don't care what kind of games you got, we only want to play ONE!.!.!" She screamed. Izzy started sweating.

"Uhhh… Right. The customer's always right." He chuckled nervously.

"So, what game was it you guys are looking for?" Iggy asked.

"Uhhh… That Mario Kart game." Lars replied.

"Well _that's_ kind of vague. We have all four Mario Kart games available on the seventh floor, which, as my brother was trying to say, is where we keep our racing games." Reggie let go of Izzy and turned on Iggy, who held his hands like a cross.

"Back, evil woman! Back I say!" He yelled. Reggie stopped and slapped her head.

"Figures it would be on the top floor." She groaned.

"Now which Mario Kart game did you want to play?" Izzy asked, going over to the computer.

"Double Dash." Lars replied.

"Ah yes. Our most popular game." Izzy started typing.

"I heard almost every gamer in this town has that game." Iggy said, turning to the other two.

"Yeah. It's really popular." Reggie said. "How long have you guys been living here, anyway?"

"Oh we've been here for close to a month. We had to overlook construction of the arcade, of course."

"Ah! Here we go." Izzy said. Everybody turned to him. "You're in luck. We have only one more playing station available at the moment."

"Good." Lars breathed a sigh of relief. "So how much to play?"

"Well, the normal price is ten dollars for up to three hours, fifteen for up to six, and twenty to play anytime after that until closing time." Iggy answered. "But we have our fifty percent off special for this week, so—"

"Iggy! Don't be so rude to our lovely guest." Izzy scolded as he turned towards Reggie. "You guys can play for free today, just to show no hard feelings about our little—err… _conversation_."

"Thanks." Reggie said as she and Lars started to walk. "And I'm still taken!"

Both brothers slapped their heads.

"Oy… Show them to the Double Dash Room, Iggy."

"Why me?" Iggy yelled.

"Because I don't feel like it right now!" Izzy replied. "So get going before I decide not to let you play anything for a month!" Iggy grumbled as he walked around the counter and up to Reggie and Lars.

"Let's go." He said as he started walking. Reggie and Lars followed.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Post-chapter Conversation

"Well, I may not like having to be in a slash fic again, but at least I'm straight this time around." Izzy said. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever." I turned to the camera. "So how—"

"Hiiiiiiii!.!.!.!.!" A high pitched voice screamed. We turned towards Iggy, who ran into the studio. He waved at the camera excitedly. Izzy and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uhhhh…" Iggy turned towards me and grinned.

"Daddy!" He then ran over and clung to me.

"Ack!" I grunted as I struggled to get out of his grip. "Nice to see you too."

"Yay! Daddy!" Iggy cheered. He snuggled his head into my chest. Izzy gave him a strange look, while I gave him a pained look.

"Ummmm Boss, why is he like that?" My partner asked.

"Well, unlike you, I made your brother have unquestioned loyalty and respect for me. I guess I went too far." I laughed sheepishly.

"But I have unquestioned loyalty for you too."

"Yeah, but you don't have any respect for me." I clarified. Izzy held a hand to his chin.

"True. So that's why he calls you Daddy and clings to you like Amy Rose?"

"Ugh! Pretty much." I grunted as I struggled again to no avail. The younger brunet was just too strong. "Iggy! You're squeezing too hard!" Iggy just squeezed harder in response. My face turned blue and I wasn't able to speak. Izzy raised an eyebrow at the scene.

"Riiiiight…" He turned to the camera. "Anyway, how will training go for Lars? And will our favorite surfer start practicing for the race? Find out next time!"


	4. A Little Training Never Hurts! Pt 1

Pre-chapter Conversation

The camera turned on in the Street Hockey court. There was a huge crowd present. Izzy and I were standing on opposite ends of the field.

"Welcome to Chapter Three!" I yelled to the camera. "I can't believe I got such a good amount of reviews so far! Normally, I'm lucky to come close to breaking ten! To celebrate such a lucky occurrence, Izzy and I are gonna have ourselves a battle!"

"Uhhhh… Boss, are you sure about this?" Izzy asked. He had a nervous expression on his face.

"Of course I am!" I replied cheerfully. "It'll be fun!" My partner still looked unsure.

"I don't know…"

"Oh come on! Don't you want to reclaim your status as a great trainer after Sam defeated you?"

"Of course I do!" Izzy yelled at me. "…But wouldn't it make more sense for me to be battling _him_ instead?" I scratched my head.

"Probably, but I wanna battle!" Izzy rolled his eyes in response.

"Fine, but you know you can't win, right?" He grabbed a purple and green ball. A skateboard was pictured on it.

"Heh. We'll see about that." I scoffed as I grabbed a yellow and red ball. A wave was pictured on it.

The camera shifted to Iggy, who was standing by the bleachers.

"For this battle, it's my daddy VS. my big brother!" He yelled through a bull horn. "Who will win? I hope it's Daddy! Wait, I want my brother to win! No, Dad! I mean, Izzy!" He scratched his head in confusion. "Can't they both win?"

Izzy and I glared at him.

"Shut up Iggy!.!.!"

"Oops… Sorry." He said sheepishly. "Let the battle begin!"

"Claim victory for me!" I yelled as I made the wind up. "Surfer Ball! Go!" I tossed it.

Meanwhile, Izzy held his ball close to him.

"Oh great master of darkness, evil, and all that is ultimate, win the battle for me." He made the wind up. "Skater Ball! Go!" He tossed it.

"And Dad starts off by throwing a surfer ball, while Izzy throws a skater ball!" Iggy announced. "What will come out and who's gonna win?"

The crowd cheered as the two balls flew through the air. The surfer ball landed first and opened. The skater ball landed a few seconds later and opened up. As our battlers began to take shape, the balls came back to us. The bright shapes began to take on human forms. The lights soon disappeared, revealing…

"Dad's choice is Otto while Izzy picks Lars!" Iggy said. "Daddy has the first move! What'll he pick?.!"

I faced him with a glare.

"Shaddap!" I turned back to the battle and pointed at Lars. "Ok Otto, let's make this quick. Use your Attract attack!"

Izzy broke out in laughter after hearing that.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.! _Attract?.!_ Don't you know how the attack works!.?" He yelled, holding his sides. "It has no effect on the same gender! HAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!" I shook a condoling finger in response.

"Tsk, tsk, Izzy. Don't tell me you forgot what kind of fic we're doing." I grinned. Izzy gasped.

"You don't mean…"

He nervously looked at Otto, who struck a sexy pose and winked at Lars. The brunet had hearts in his eyes as he drooled at his opponent.

"And Otto immobilizes Lars with the power of love!" Iggy announced excitedly. Izzy stomped on the ground.

"There's no way I'm gonna lose this!" He pointed at Otto. "Shake it off, Lars, and attack Otto with your Sweet Kiss!"

Lars shook his head hard and dashed head-on towards the redhead.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged. "Otto! Counter with your Lovely Kiss!"

Otto got out of his pose and ran towards Lars. Both combatants had fury in their eyes as they drew closer and closer. There was no way they'll give up the battle!

When they reached each other…

"They're MAKING OUT!.?.!" Izzy, Iggy, and I yelled with wide eyes. The crowd gasped at the sight.

The two fighters were on the ground, wrapped in each other's arms and smooching up a storm. The girls in the crowd giggled and started taking tons of pictures. Iggy blinked and turned to me.

"Uhhhh… I guess it's a tie?"

"Guess so…" I said with a shrug.

"No fair! I wanted to win!" Izzy protested.

"Oh well. What can I say, except—" I turned to the camera. "—enjoy the next chapter!"

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Race across Rainbows

Chapter Three

A Little Training Never Hurts!

Part One

After riding in the elevator, Reggie, Lars, and Iggy found themselves on the seventh floor of the arcade. It consisted of several rooms, each having a sign above the entrance, as well as couches outside the doors. All except for the center room had people waiting outside them. There were several vending machines standing along the far wall.

"Right this way." The younger Yaoi Brother said as he walked towards the center room. Reggie and Lars followed.

When they entered, they saw eight playing stations. Seven of them were being used by other players. One or two of them had just one person playing, a few had two people playing, and the last ones had four people racing. The last station's screen was showing a demo. Each play area had plush chairs placed in front of them.

"Well, there you go." Iggy said, pointing at the free station. "Since my bro decided to be nice, I guess you guys get to stay here til closing time. Hope you enjoy the game." With that, he started to walk away.

"Hang on." Reggie said, stopping him. Iggy turned around as she faced Lars. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up." The older brunet raised an eyebrow.

"Alright…" He said as he walked over to the playing station.

"So what did you want?" Iggy asked Reggie as she faced him.

"I just wanted to know. How good are you at this game?" She asked. Iggy blinked before puffing out his chest.

"Ha! I'm the best at this game!" He said proudly. "I'm sure you noticed the trophies in the entrance hall. Well, they're from various tournaments my brother and I have won. Quite a few of them are from Double Dash tournaments. Why'd you ask?"

"I want you to teach him how to play." Reggie replied, pointing at Lars. Iggy scowled at her.

"What?.! You expect me to show _him_ how to play after he insulted me and my brother downstairs!.?" The boy hissed.

"Please? I just need you to show him the basics." Reggie pleaded. Iggy only crossed his arms in response.

"No way. Why should I?" Reggie thought for a moment before looking at Lars, who was watching the conversation. He couldn't hear a word, though, because he was at the far end of the room. She turned back to Iggy and leaned in close.

"Listen, I'm trying to hook my friend up with my brother." She whispered. Iggy only gaped in response.

"You mean he is…" He trailed off as he pointed at Lars. Reggie nodded and told him about the bet.

"So what do you say?" She asked. Iggy put on a thinking pose.

"Hmmm… I don't know…"

"Hey, I thought you and your brother were into this sort of thing."

"Reading stories is one thing, but playing matchmaker? That's crazy!" Iggy whispered.

"How about I sweeten the deal?" Reggie asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"I'm listening."

"If you do this and Lars and Otto get together, I'll give you a picture of them kissing." Iggy's eyes widened at the prospect, but he put on his poker face.

"Only if it's of their first kiss. Nothing else will do." He said with his arms crossed. He thought a moment. "And I want another thing." Reggie sighed.

"Fine. If they get together after this whole mess is dealt with, I'll give you a kiss on the cheek." She said. Iggy blushed and squealed at the new terms. "So is it a deal?"

"It's a deal!" They both shook hands. "By the way, what does this 'Otto' guy look like?"

"Oh you can't miss him. He has red dreadlocks that hang down the side of his head."

"Like Knuckles the Echidna!.?" Iggy asked excitedly. Reggie raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Sure. Whatever. Anyway, he also wears sunglasses and is as tall as your brother."

"Ok. We better get going. Your pal's looking a little impatient." Iggy said as he pointed at Lars, who was fidgeting in his seat. The boy in the purple hat and the purple haired girl walked towards the guy in the purple shirt.

"Hey, what was that whole thing about?" The older brunet asked as Reggie and Iggy sat down.

"Just talking a little." Reggie replied before turning to the younger boy. "Take it away."

"Right." Iggy nodded as he took a controller from the station. He then turned to Lars. "As the co-owner of this arcade, I feel it is my responsibility to teach you how to play this fine example of a game."

"Uhhh… Ok." Lars said, a little weirded out by the kid's words.

"Alright then. Anyway, this game is known as a kart racer." Iggy continued his lecture. "You use different items to slow down your opponents and/or to get yourself to the finish line quicker. The main difference this game offers is that instead of one character, you get to pick two. Remember, you can pick any two characters you want. It all depends on who you're more comfortable with."

"Just show me how to race already." Lars said impatiently.

"Fine, fine." Iggy replied as he got into the game. "I'll play a race and while I'm playing, I'll tell ya some stuff." He selected to play one player mode and went into the game's Quick Run mode. He picked to race using a 150cc engine.

(A/N: Double Dash doesn't have a Quick Run mode, but it should!)

'_Hmmm… I better try not to overwhelm him._' Iggy thought as the player select screen loaded. Pictured were twenty characters in two rows of ten. He shrugged. '_Oh well. They say love conquers all, right?_'

°Lars' POV°

"Ok. First you have to select the first character of your team. This character will serve as your driver." That kid said as he started moving a flashing box on the screen. Pictured were some characters, including the ones I saw yesterday. He stopped the cursor on a big turtle that had a spiked shell and horns, as well as red hair. I read the name that displayed.

'_Bowser._'

He then moved the cursor to the character that was below the previous one. This one looked like the last one, except much smaller. It was wearing a bib that had teeth pictured on it. Its red hair was tied in a ponytail. Hmmmm… I wonder how Otto would look like if his hair was set up like that. I mentally slapped myself.

'_Focus! Learn how to play, and** then** fantasize about him!_' Anyway, I read that name. '_Bowser Jr._' Iggy made his decision as the little kid on screen gave an evil laugh.

"Next, you have to pick the guy in back." He said as he started moving the cursor around. He stopped at the box under the green turtle Squid was using yesterday. He picked that one. It was the same turtle that was pictured on his shirt. It had a red shell with wings. Between the two characters, a picture of a car showed up. It was shaped like a bullet, but had eyes on it.

"And finally, you pick the kart your characters will use in the race. Remember, you're only allowed to use the karts in your _heavier_ character's weight class." Iggy started again. "For example, if I picked a lightweight character and a heavyweight character, I would have to use a heavyweight kart."

Ok. This has definitely started to get complicated for me. How am I supposed to know who to pick!.?

"So what weight class are the characters you picked?" I asked. The kid turned to me.

"Both of my characters are lightweights." He replied before turning back to the screen.

He scrolled through the different choices until he came up to a golden car—err... kart—that looked too big for his characters. He selected it and I had to ask another question.

"That kart looks too big. How are ya able to pick it?"

"That kart's a special one." Iggy answered without looking at me. "Any weight class can use it."

"Hey, isn't that the kart that's shown in the cutscene after a cup?" Reggie asked. What the hell was she talking about?

"Yep." Iggy said with a grin. "That's the Parade Kart, only available after getting winning the gold in every cup. As a matter of fact, every memory card we used for each station in the arcade has everything unlocked."

"Uhh… guys." I started. "CAN WE GET BACK TO TEACHING ME HOW TO PLAY!.?.!" Reggie and Iggy looked at me with sheepish expressions.

"Oops. Sorry about that." The brat said before turning back to the screen, which was displaying different tracks. He picked the very first track. "Luigi Circuit" was the name of it.

The track seemed to be a normal-looking one. It was also kinda short. There was a cloudy blue sky. One thing I noticed right off the bat was that the clouds had eyes and were smiling! Don't tell me I challenged Otto to a little kid's game! Anyway, eight karts, each having two characters in them, were lined up in two rows. Iggy's kart was in last place. The rear characters were standing on the ground.

The engines roared to life as a turtle in another one of those smiley clouds floated down above the kid's kart. It was holding a fishing pole that had a traffic light at the end. The left light turned red. This was followed by the second and third red lights turning on. When all three green lights were displayed, Iggy's kart shot out ahead of a few of the other racers. It was then that he paused the game.

"One of the fundamental things to remember is that you must _always_ hold the A button when racing. This is the accelerator button." He started. "As for what I just did at the start of the race. That is called a Rocket Start. It allows you get ahead of some of the racers with a boost of speed. It requires good timing."

Rocket Start, huh? Funny how one of the most important skills I'll need has the same name as the one I love. I wonder if that's an omen or something.

Anyway, Iggy unpaused the game and got back to racing. His kart was getting smacked around by a couple of the other racers. He was pushed to third place as he approached a small jump. His kart got a small boost of speed as it jumped and landed a short distance. He started going down a straightaway.

"The strip I ran over before the jump is called a Dash Panel." Iggy said. "As you saw, it gives you a slight boost of speed."

He then reached a row of those boxes I saw yesterday. He drove past one and a roulette started in the upper left corner of the screen.

"These item boxes are the key to your victory. When you drive past one, a roulette will decide what kind of item you'll get. The lower the place you're in, the better the item. When it stops, the one in back will get the item. To use an item, you press either the X or Y button."

The roulette stopped and the turtle got three red shells, which it started juggling. Iggy paused again.

"Now this is where strategy comes into play. Each pair of characters can get a special item that only _they_ are allowed to obtain. As you saw, the paratroopa and koopa troopa's special item is three red or green shells that can be used to slow down your opponents."

"So what's the difference between them?" I asked, trying to stay with this kid, but he keeps throwing these weird names at me.

"Green shells bounce around the track. You have to be careful with using them because they can hit you." He replied. "And red shells home in on the racer that's ahead of you. You can also fire these shells backwards to stop yourself from getting hit by shells from another racer."

"And another thing," He started again. "You can mix and match characters. Like I said earlier, it all depends on your preference and what special items you want." He unpaused and went back to racing.

He made the paratroopa fire a red shell, hitting the team ahead of him. He got ahead of that team and fired another shell as he reached a turn that had dash panels on the wall. He made his kart drive along the wall and hit those panels. He fired the last shell just before hitting two boxes that were stacked on top of each other. Two roulettes started up at the same time.

"I had just hit a double item box. Now both my driver and rear character will get an item." The roulettes stopped and Paratroopa got a banana placed into his hand while Bowser Jr. got a green, spiked shell like the one he was wearing. "Paratroopa got a banana peel, which I can use either to trip opponents or defend myself from shells. Bowser Jr. got his and Bowser's special, the Bowser Shell. This shell gets big when I toss it."

By now, Iggy got off the wall and hit another dash panel that allowed him to jump a short distance. He landed on the same part of the track he was on earlier. He started going back to the starting line. He tossed the banana peel backwards causing his characters to switch. He paused again.

"If both characters have an item and you use one, they will automatically switch. If you want to, you can switch them back by pressing the Z button." He showed me where that button was, which was above the right shoulder button. "Also, you can switch at anytime during the race." He unpaused and switched his characters again just before hitting the row of boxes he passed by earlier. Paratroopa got a green shell.

Iggy drove up the hill and went around a banana peel that was in the way. When he got to the final turn, he started sliding, creating sparks in the tires. The sparks quickly changed colors, from orange to red and then to blue. He held the slide there as he got within a few feet of the finish line. He then let go and the kart shot off towards the line. He passed it and was now in first place as he started the second lap. The cloud guy from earlier floated down towards his kart, holding a sign from his fishing pole that said, "Lap 2."

"What was it you did before crossing the finish line?" I asked as he reached the jump. Iggy paused and turned to me again.

"It was a Mini-Turbo." He started. "By holding the L or R button when going into a turn, you start a drift. If you move the control stick left and right while drifting, the sparks that appear by the rear tires will change colors. Once the sparks become blue, let go of either button to get a quick boost." He unpaused and got back into the race.

He switched characters and tossed the Bowser Shell at the team ahead of him. He wasn't kidding when said the shell would get big. It was fully huge! The shell hit the other team, knocking them back. The character in back of that kart was being dragged. The shell bounced off the wall. Iggy had to drift to the left to avoid it. He continued driving with Bowser Jr. taking the wheel again. He was now in first place as he drove along the wall. As he started hitting dash panels, a symbol that looked like the shell Squid used yesterday appeared on the bottom of the screen.

"Ah damn it…" I heard Iggy say. Next thing I knew, there was an explosion that sent his team flying. He paused the game. "Ugh! I hate it when that damn thing's used against me!" He then turned to Reggie.

"Sorry about that, my dear. You shouldn't have to hear such language."

"For the love of—! Let's not start _this_ again!" She yelled at him. He laughed nervously.

"Hey, can't blame a guy for trying." He tried. She growled at him.

"Just get back to the tutorial." She shook a fist at him to prove her point. He gulped as he turned back to me.

"So what was that thing?" I asked, ignoring the temper of my ex-girlfriend. I wonder, was she like that when we were together?

"That was a spiny shell. It flies into the air and attacks the team in first place. It explodes on impact. If another team runs into the explosion, they will also get tossed into the air. Also, whenever an item tosses you into the air, you'll lose whatever items you were carrying and you won't be able to use items or switch until your rear character gets back on." Iggy explained as he unpaused the game.

I saw what he meant by what he said about the back character. Paratroopa was hanging on for dear life as Bowser Jr. started driving again. Two teams got ahead of them. After a few seconds, Paratroopa jumped back on as the gold kart drove through an item box. Like at the start of the race, he got a set of three red shells, which he started juggling. After the kart hit the dash panel at the jump, Iggy made the turtle toss one of the shells. It chased after one of the opposing teams and hit _that_ kart, which caused it to flip forwards. Iggy passed that team and tossed both shells. They hit the first place team, one right after the other. He got back into first place as he started the next lap. The music for the track started playing faster as the cloud guy came down again. This time, he was toting a sign that said, "Final Lap" in flashing letters. Almost as soon as the cloud guy disappeared off screen, a red shell hit the gold kart and a bolt of lightning stuck, causing it to shrink.

"Oy…" Iggy slapped his head as he paused again. He turned to me. "That was a lightning bolt. It shrinks all the racers except for the one who used it. When you're shrunk, you move slower and you spin out whenever you bump into a racer that's full-sized. The effect wears off after a few seconds."

He unpaused and got back to the race. Nothing much happened after he got back to full size. His team won the race.

"And there you go. That's more or less how a race in Mario Kart: Double Dash works." Iggy said as he got up and stretched. "Since you're a beginner, it would be best to start off with a 50cc engine size for the races. One more thing, if enough people play at the arcade, we hope to have tournaments. See ya around."

He then turned to Reggie and whispered something. She sighed and whispered back. Iggy cheered as he ran out of the room.

"What were you talking to him about?" I asked as she moved closer to me.

"Oh it was nothing." She said. I gave her a look that said I didn't believe her. She started sweating. "What?.! It was nothing! He was just trying to hit on me again." She gave a nervous laugh.

"Whatever." I said, still not believing her.

"Come on. Let's play a race." Reggie said as she grabbed a controller. "We'll play a round in Grand Prix mode."

She backed out of one player mode and went into two player mode. After selecting to have me and her go against each other, she got ready to pick the engine size.

"I guess we should play 50cc." She said as she prepared to make her choice.

"Hang on. We should play 150cc, like that kid." I said.

"But you're a beginner."

"Well I need to be ready to take on Otto, and I can't do that if I play on the easiest difficulty." I shot back. "Come on, Reg. I can handle it."

"Fine, if you say so." Reggie replied as she chose to race using 150cc size engines. The player select screen popped up. "Let's see now… Guess I'll pick my usual."

She picked the same characters she used yesterday, which were named Daisy and Birdo. Sheesh. Who thought up these names!.? As for her kart, she picked the Bloom Coach. I think I'm gonna be sick.

"Ok Lars, it's your turn." She said.

'_Hmmmmm__…_ _What am I supposed to pick?_' I thought as I moved the cursor around. I soon stopped on a gorilla named Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong? Oh! Like King Kong!

'_Wait a minute…_' I thought as a smirk made itself known on my face. '_King Kong was a giant monkey and Twister's afraid of those things._' I immediately picked Donkey Kong as my first character. Maybe I could scare him when he comes back from his trip.

'_Man, He's eighteen and he **still** has that fear?_' I chuckled to myself as I got ready to pick my rear character. Hmmm… That Waluigi guy doesn't sound too bad. He's also got good style with that shirt. I picked him and a barrel-shaped kart showed up between the two characters. Probably belongs to that monkey. I decided to scroll through my choices.

"Hey. _That_ one doesn't look so bad." I said out loud as I picked a kart that looked like a Cadillac. It was purple. I selected that one and a new screen came up.

"Let's try the Flower Cup." Reggie said as she made her decision.

The screen faded and in a few seconds, the screen displayed the first track. It was a highway full of cars and trucks. There was a bridge present. In fact, the name of the course was "Mushroom Bridge."

°Third Person POV°

"That's crazy! We have to race on a highway with _cars_!.?" Lars exclaimed.

"Calm down. It's easy to avoid them." Reggie replied. The eight racers were lined up side to side in two rows. Reggie was in seventh and Lars was in last place. She held the controller confidently, but Lars was shaking.

'_Gotta calm down. If I'm nervous, I won't be able to do the Rocket Start._' He thought as the countdown started. As the countdown neared one, he held down the A button, causing Waluigi to run in place.

The screen flashed the word, "START!" and the race was off. Reggie performed her Rocket Start beautifully, but Lars' kart stalled. The other racers got far ahead of his team. After a few seconds, Waluigi jumped onboard and Lars was finally able to start the race. He moved around sloppily, trying to get used to the control stick. After passing a delivery truck and a small car, he got into the first tunnel and drove through an item box. The roulette started as Lars maneuvered around a couple of cars. When the roulette stopped, Waluigi was holding a star in his hand.

"What does this do?" Lars asked. Reggie quickly looked down as she got into second place.

"That's a star. It'll let you become invincible when you use it." She replied. "Also, your kart will go faster while it's active."

"Alright!" He pressed the Y button and a golden aura surrounded the purple kart.

Lars drove like a madman while speeding down the highway. He bumped into a few trucks, making them fly into the air. He even bumped into a few of the other racers, making them spin out. As his invincibility ended, he entered the second tunnel and was in fourth place. He ran into a double item box and two roulettes started. He got past another team and got into third place as a bob-Omb appeared in Waluigi's hand and a red shell appeared in Donkey Kong's. When the bomb appeared, Lars saw the word, "Special" appear.

'_So that bomb is his special, huh?_' He thought as he reached the final stretch along a bridge. He pressed the Z button and his two characters switched places. He made Donkey Kong fire the shell towards Reggie, who saw a symbol with it pictured appear on her half of the screen.

"Oh no you don't!" She said as she made Birdo toss the egg she had backwards. The egg and the shell collided, causing the egg to crack and reveal three items: A green shell, a mushroom, and a banana peel.

'_Hmmmm__… That mushroom doesn't look so bad._' Lars thought. '_I wonder what would happen if I ran over it._' He steered the kart towards the mushroom. When it ran over the fungus, the kart got a momentary boost of speed as it crossed the finish line to start the second lap.

'_I guess if I run over good items, I'll use them automatically._'

Waluigi had long since switched back with Donkey Kong as Lars drove into the tunnel. It seemed that he had gotten used to the control stick. Before leaving the tunnel, the kart drove through a double item box. Since Waluigi still had the bob-Omb, he didn't get an item. Donkey Kong, on the other hand, got a huge banana placed into his hand. Lars noticed that that item was the monkey's special.

As the racers drove towards another turn, Lars tossed the bomb towards Reggie's team, but it flew far ahead of her and landed on the street by the entrance to the second tunnel. It started flashing. Reggie and the other racers ahead of Lars went around the bomb and entered the tunnel. Unfortunately, the brunet wasn't so lucky. The bob-Omb exploded as his team neared it, sending them into the air. The giant banana peel Donkey Kong was holding fell onto the ground. In a few seconds, it exploded into three bananas when one of the other teams ran into it. Lars' kart landed and drove onward, dragging the purple-clad plumber with it. He was now in fifth place.

'_Man! This kart's too slow when you gotta start from a stand still!_' He thought as he entered the tunnel. '_What am I supposed to do?_'

He kept pressing buttons. He found out the hard way that the B button is the breaks and pressing the X and Y buttons only made Donkey Kong beep the horn. He then pressed the R button. Waluigi jumped back on as the kart went into a drift. Lars noticed that the kart was starting to move faster. Remembering what Iggy told him about how to do a Mini-Turbo, he started moving the control stick left and right. Instantly, sparks appeared where the rear tires were. As Lars continued moving the stick, the sparks changed from orange to red to blue. He let go and the kart sped forward.

As he drove on through the tunnel, he got a spiny shell from an item box. As he drove along the bridge, he made Waluigi toss the shell. It collided with the first place team. Lars and Reggie got into first and second place respectively as the final lap began. Reggie got a red shell from an item box and tossed it just as her team entered the first tunnel. Luckily, Lars had a banana peel, which he tossed backwards as soon as the warning signal appeared on his screen. The shell was blocked. The rest of the race went by smoothly.

"See Reg, I told you I can handle it." Lars bragged as both their teams got to the final stretch.

Just then, a spiny shell appeared and struck his kart, making it fly into the air after an explosion of blue smoke. Because Reggie's team was close by, she was also affected by the explosion. Shortly after they landed, a lightning bolt struck the track, slowing them down further. At the end, the two young adults wound up in the same places they were in at the start of the race.

"God! They're so cheap!" Lars cursed as he stood up.

"Well, what did you expect?" Reggie asked. "Don't tell me you're giving up."

"Hell no." The brunet replied as he sat down. "I'm gonna win Otto's heart even if it kills me. Let's keep going."

"Right." Reggie nodded.

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

"Thank you for coming. Hope to see you soon." Izzy said as he bowed at a couple of people who were leaving. Just then, Iggy returned to his place behind the counter. He seemed to be in deep thought. "Iggy! What took you so long?.!"

"Huh?" Iggy asked as he raised his head. "It's nothing, brother."

"Yeah right." Izzy crossed his arms. "It doesn't take that long to escort someone to their chosen room and come back." He glared at the younger boy. "You better not have been playing."

"But brother, it wasn't my fault! That guy wanted to learn how to play!"

"And your point is…? That's why we have the instruction book for the game available at each station."

"Look," Iggy started, losing his patience. "That cute girl wanted me to show that guy the ropes because he wants to get with her brother!"

"You mean that guy's gay? After what he said to us!.?" Izzy asked with a scowl.

"Never mind that. That girl offered to give us a picture of that guy's first kiss if I helped them out." The older brother crossed his arms at that.

"Since when were we matchmakers, anyway?"

"Think about it, bro. Girls like it if you help out a gay guy, right?" Iggy asked.

"Yeah… So?"

"_So_, if we help that Lars guy out and if that girl ever breaks up with her boyfriend, _you_ could get with her!" Izzy blushed at the prospect and held up a fist.

"Genius! And if we get that picture of his first kiss, we'll make a ton of cash!" He chuckled. He then blinked at the younger boy. "Hey, wait a minute. I thought you liked her too." Iggy stuttered to think of something.

"Oh, I'm over her."

"You sure?" Izzy asked incredulously.

"Yep." Iggy replied. '_Besides, getting a kiss from her is more than enough to fill in the blanks._' He thought as he laughed.

"So what's the name of Reggie's brother?" The older brother asked. The younger one thought for a moment.

"Otto. That's his name."

"And what does he look like?" Izzy asked.

"He's as tall as you, wears sunglasses, and has dreadlocks that are arranged like Knuckles'." Iggy replied.

"Excellent. This'll be a new step for us as fans of yaoi!" Izzy started. "We'll do whatever it takes to make sure this guy gets good enough at Double Dash and gets with the boy of his dreams!" He laughed before a sudden thought came to him. "By the way, how _is_ playing Double Dash supposed to help him get with this 'Otto' guy?"

"Hmmmm… Oh yeah!" Iggy said before he told his brother about the bet Lars made. Izzy raised an eyebrow after hearing the explanation.

"That's a kinda desperate move if you ask me." He shrugged. "Eh. Love makes you do crazy things. We got some planning to do!"

'_Hmmmm__… I wonder if I made a mistake telling him._' Iggy thought as he watched his brother writing on a piece of paper, muttering to himself in the process. He shrugged. '_Nah!_'

To be continued…

—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—.—

Post-chapter Conversation

Otto and Lars were still going at it. Izzy, Iggy, and I were standing at the sidelines, watching them.

"Are they _ever_ gonna stop?" I asked with boredom, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, we gotta get back to the battle!" Izzy yelled.

"I don't know." Iggy said, grabbing a box of popcorn. "I'm kinda enjoying this."

"You would." I said. Izzy raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, why _is_ he enjoying this in the first place?" I sighed in response.

"Unlike you, he _likes_ to see boys kiss."

"Ooooohhhh… Then he's—"

"No. He's still straight." I interrupted. Izzy gave me a freaked out look.

"You confuse me on so many levels."

"I know." I said with a grin. Izzy slapped his head.

"Yeah! Keep at it!.!.!" Iggy cheered, causing Izzy and I to give him a weirded out look. My partner turned to me.

"End this, please."

"Fine." I turned to the camera. "Lars seems to have gotten off to a rocky start. Will Otto have better luck? Stay tuned for part two!"

(P.S: To Amy, don't worry. Lars and Reggie are NOT gonna get back together or something. I hate that coupling. That's why she's paired up with Sam. The interaction between them is kinda necessary for the story. There WILL be more scenes that involve Otto, but not yet. Just be a little patient. It'll come in due time.)


	5. A Little Training Never Hurts! Pt 2

Pre-chapter Conversation

The scene opened in the streets of Ocean Shores. I was seen walking with Otto.

"Ya know, I've been here for a few months and I've never noticed how beautiful the town is." I said, looking around.

"Yeah. It's a pretty rad place." Otto said. "By the way, whatever happened to those guys you always hang around with?"

"Oh they're somewhere." I replied with a smirk. "So tell me, you participated in Mischief Night awhile back, right?" Otto gave me a cautious look.

"Yeah… What about it?"

"Well, I've always wondered. Why didn't your future lover or anybody else egg you?" The redhead blushed at the mention of the brunet in the gray hat.

"Wh-what does that have to do with Mischief Night?"

"I'd imagine that rival groups would fight each other using eggs and stuff like that on the day before Halloween." I answered with a shrug.

"Well, nothing like that happened." He said before he started walking again. "Why did you ask, anyway?"

I grinned as I pulled an egg out from behind my back.

"So that I can do this!"

The other boy turned towards me as I tossed it.

°SPLAT!°

Otto felt his hair and cringed as the gooey substance dribbled onto his hand.

"Ugh!" He glared at me. "What the hell, dude!.?"

"Wait for it." I said with a grin.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A few feet away, Izzy and Iggy were seen dragging Lars.

"What do you two twerps want now?.!" The oldest brunet demanded. Izzy looked at him.

"Quit ya squirming and come on!" He yelled. Iggy looked back too.

"Yeah! Dad's got a surprise for you!" He said cheerfully.

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Lars asked with a groan.

"It's nothing bad." Izzy responded. "As much as I hate him, the boss would never hurt the stars of the fic; at least not to the point of death." Lars' eyes widened.

"Let me go!" He started struggling against the two brothers.

"Come on! He was playing!" Iggy grunted as he pulled the older boy forward.

"Ugh! Yeah! It was a joke! The boss really does have something cool planned!" Izzy added as he pulled.

"No way! Let go!" Lars protested.

The trio fought for a few moments before Otto and I approached them. I grabbed a whistle out of my pocket and blew. The shrill noise brought the three to attention. They faced me.

"Hey Lars," I gestured to Otto, who had egg dripping down his face. "It's Eggo! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!.!.!.!.!.!"

Otto blushed as Izzy and Iggy rolled with laughter, letting go of Lars. The brunet in the gray hat approached the redhead with a strange look in his eyes.

"Uhhhh… Hey Lars." Otto said nervously. Lars held a finger to his lips.

"Shhhh… You got something on you."

"Yeah, I know." The redhead said dully. Lars smirked seductively.

"Let me get that." He moved closer and licked the egg off his face. Otto shivered in pleasure. Izzy, Iggy, and I gave them an excited look before we turned to each other.

"Hey, is it safe to do something like this in a PG setting?" My partner asked. I shrugged.

"I hope so. I mean, this doesn't seem bad enough to make me raise the rating."

"Who cares!.? This is great stuff!" Iggy yelled. Izzy and I rolled our eyes in response. I then stood up and crossed my arms.

"So Lars, whaddya say?"

"L'Eggo my Eggo." Lars replied, hugging Otto protectively. He continued licking the smaller boy. I grinned and turned to Izzy, who stood up along with Iggy.

"Izzy, get a camera."

"Right!" Izzy replied before running off. I turned to Iggy.

"Get some eggs."

"Ok, Daddy!" The younger brunet said, saluting me. He ran off as well. I turned to the camera.

"Enjoy the chapter!" I waved before going back to watching Lars pamper Otto.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Race across Rainbows

Chapter Three

A Little Training Never Hurts!

Part Two

At Mad Town…

°Otto's POV°

"WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

°CRASH!°

"Man! What's with me today!.?" I yelled as I struggled to my feet.

That was the fifth beef in just an hour! Again I ask, what's wrong with me? I skated around in the bowl for a bit before trying another Ollie. I shot up into the air and got ready to spin, but I screwed it up in the middle of the ascent and came crashing down, again!.!.!

"This just isn't my day." I groaned as I got up.

I guess I must have a lot on my mind. There's no other reason for it! That race Lars challenged me to; him calling me a dork. What's up with him, anyway? And why in the world is this whole thing bugging me like this!.? I guess it's probably because of that added rule; that the loser has to tell his darkest secret. _There's_ a good question. _Do_ I have a darkest secret? I shrugged and went back to blading.

And another thing, why would he make such a weird bet? We're not kids anymore. It can't be because he wants to blackmail me then. And I certainly wouldn't have any reason to use _his_ secret against him. And when he _did_ challenge me, he seemed really out of it. He was sweating and stumbling over his words, almost like he was… Nah! I could always dream though, right? What the—!.? Hold it!

°Screeeeeeech!°

"Where did _that_ come from!.?" I shouted to myself, probably earning myself a few stares from everybody around, but I didn't care. I went back to skating.

That's the second time I thought something like that! Actually, it was the second time if you don't count the dreams I had. They were really weird. I don't remember much from them, but they all involved _him_. The guy in the purple shirt; the one with the missing tooth, though I wonder why he's never went to a dentist for that. The one in the gray hat; the one with the long brown hair I would like to run my hand through…? ARGH!.!.! There it is again! Why does this keep eating at me!.? I don't get it. It's best that I try not to think about it.

I got on the half pipe and started tearing it up. I reached one end, flew up into the air, and grabbed my legs. As gravity took effect, I spun around and blazed down the side and up the other wall. I launched myself into the air and landed a perfect fakie.

'_Yeah! Now **this** is what I'm talking about! I knew I'd get out of this funk!_'

Unfortunately, I spoke—or thought—too soon. When I went for another Ollie, it was the weirdest thing. I could've sworn I saw Lars waving at me, cheering me on. I smiled at the hallucination.

'_Lars… When I land this trick, we're gonna go to the Shack and then maybe we can go to the movies and—WHAT THE HELL!.?.!.?.!_'

°CRASH!.!.!°

"°Cough° Note to self: Don't think about You-know-who when trying to land a difficult trick." I groaned as I picked myself up from the middle of the half pipe. I left Mad Town. There was no way I could shred with _him _on my mind like that. And why do I keep thinking about him in the first place!.?.!.?.! I sighed.

'_I might as well learn how to play that game he challenged me to._' I thought.

It was weird though. What was he thinking when he challenged me to _that_? I mean, a downhill race or a Hockey game, sure, but a _video game_? I hardly ever touch those things. But now, I gotta learn how to play and then beat him, so I could find out his worst secret. I know I said I wouldn't _use_ it against him, but hey, I could always use a good laugh. It's probably something really strange, like he wears women's underwear or something. I drooled at the prospect. Lars in a thong…

I shook my head hard before I wound up wiping out.

'_But who could teach me?_' I thought as I stopped. '_Reggie's out doing something and I don't know how to use that Game whatchamacallit of hers._'

I snapped my fingers.

'_That's it! Sam! He got her that system for her birthday last year, plus he's almost always around, playing with her. **He'll** be able to teach me a thing or two!_'

With my new plan set, I skated over to Sam's house.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

°Third Person POV°

"Reggie… I miss you so much." Sam said to himself. He was sitting in his room, staring at the ceiling. He had gotten rid of his bunk bed and got a single-person bed.

(A/N: Why _does _he have a bunk bed on the show, anyway?)

"Man. I hope you're right about Lars not wanting to get back with you. Things are too boring without you. In fact, playing games haven't had as much appeal since me and you got together." He sighed.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Sam! Could you get that?" Paula yelled from the kitchen.

"Ok Mom!" Sam replied as he got out of bed and walked over to the front door.

He opened it and Otto was on the other side. He raised an eyebrow at the skater's fatigue, not to mention the scars and bruises decorating his face, arms, and legs.

"What happened to _you_?" The blond asked.

"Never…mind…that…" Otto replied, panting. "Teach… Teach…me…how to…play that…game Lars challenged me to…" Sam groaned slightly.

'_I didn't want to get involved in this whole thing._' He thought. He was about to decline, but he remembered who he was doing this for.

"Alright. I'll show you how to play." He finally said with a sigh. The redhead grinned.

"Great! Let's go!" He yelled as he skated over to his house.

"Mom! I'm going out!" Sam yelled into the house.

"Alright! Be back in time for dinner!" Paula replied. Sam closed the door and walked towards the Rocket house.

'_What am I getting myself into?_' He thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A few minutes later, Otto and Sam were sitting in the living room in front of the TV with a controller in each of their hands. Sam was busy setting everything up in the game.

"I guess I'll race and tell ya about the game." Sam said hesitantly. He really had no idea how to start teaching Otto how to play. He highlighted the icon for one player mode and was about to confirm his choice.

"Oh no ya don't!" Otto yelled. "I'll race too and you show me what to do while we're racing." Sam raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He replied.

He chose two player mode and decided to race in VS. mode with 150cc size engines. The player select screen appeared. He then cleared his throat as he got ready to start the lesson.

"First of all, the way this game works is that you race with two characters at once. The front character is your driver and the one in back tosses items. You can switch their position at any time by pressing the Z button."

"Ok. Now what's this about items?" The other boy asked.

"Mario Kart: Double Dash is a kart racing game, which means that you can use different items to either hamper the progress of other racers or help yourself out. Also, every pair of racers can use special items that only they are allowed to obtain. You press the X or Y buttons in order to use items."

After that explanation, Sam taught Otto the rest of the controls for the game. When he was done, the blond picked to use Wario, Koopa Troopa, and the Koopa King (Bowser's kart).

"Ok. It's your turn to pick." He said to Otto.

"Alright." The auburn haired skater replied.

'_Now who should I pick?_' He thought as he moved the cursor around. He soon stopped on Waluigi. '_Hmmm… This guy reminds me of Lars so much…_' He grinned and lowered his thumb towards the A button, but he stopped himself and shook his head.

'_What am I doing?.! I need to get him off my mind **now**!_' He moved the cursor around again and landed on Mario. '_Hmmm… **This** guy doesn't look too bad._' He picked the red-clad plumber, who crossed his arms.

'_And now for his partner._' Otto moved the cursor again until he landed on Yoshi, the green dinosaur. He thought for moment and then shrugged. '_Heh. Why not? The worst that could happen is that he'll suck and I'll have to think of a new character to use._'

He selected the dinosaur and a kart appeared.

'_Now for the kart._'

He scrolled through his choices, which weren't that many. He finally picked the Waluigi Racer. The screen changed and a bunch of tracks were displayed. Sam went to the tracks in the Star Cup and picked the Donkey Kong Mountain track. The screen faded and our two racers found their teams in front of a starting line at the foot of a small hill. Sam's team was on the left and Otto's team was on the right.

Soon, a lakitu floated down to start the race. The turtle in the cloud started counting down from three. Just as the countdown ended, Sam pressed the A button, causing his kart to blast out of the starting line. Otto's kart, on the other hand, stalled pretty much like how Lars' did. Otto paused the game.

"What did you do at the start of the race?" He asked Sam.

"That was a called a Rocket Start." The blond replied. Otto's eyebrows shot up at the answer. Sam chuckled at the obvious response. "If you press A at the right time before the race starts, you'll get a boost of speed."

"Wow. I wonder if the creator of this game had me in mind." The redhead said, unpausing the game. Sam rolled his eyes.

Otto's kart was able to catch up to Sam's as both racers went through the first row of item boxes. A banana peel was placed into Koopa Troopa's hand while a red shell was placed into Yoshi's.

"What's with the shell?" Otto asked.

"That's a red shell. It'll home in on whoever's ahead of you." Sam replied, somewhat regretting his answer. Otto grinned as he pressed the Y button on his controller. Yoshi launched the shell, but Koopa Troopa blocked by tossing the banana peel backwards. The two players drifted to the right and started going towards a giant barrel. Both karts entered the barrel.

°BOOM!°

The barrel cannon shot both karts into the air. They were going at an incredible velocity towards a mountain that had an angry face.

"Whoohoo!" Otto cheered. "Talk about getting major air!"

Yoshi and Koopa Troopa were hanging on for dear life as the karts flew through the air. They soon cleared a fence and landed. Otto made the kart drift around the next turn. He got ahead of Sam as his team hit a double item box. After the roulettes, Mario got a mushroom while Yoshi got his special, an egg.

"So what does the mushroom do?" He asked Sam, who got a green shell.

"It gives you a quick boost in speed." The blond replied.

They reached a pretty bumpy path as they went down the mountain.

Otto quickly put Mario in back, used his mushroom, and entered a grassy path. Unfortunately, his kart got hit by a boulder, causing Yoshi, who had switched places with Mario a few seconds prior, to drop the egg. Sam took advantage of Otto's state of distress by launching the shell. It hit the redhead's kart, but the blond's kart crashed into the egg, causing a star, a bob-Omb, and a banana peel to fall out. The items landed a few feet ahead of Otto's team.

"Ha! That's what you get!" Otto taunted as he started driving.

He ran over the star and became invincible just as the bomb exploded, sending Sam's team into the air. The auburn haired boy steered around a couple of tight turns and reached an area with a chasm. Because of the extra speed the star granted him, he wasn't able to control himself, therefore falling into the hole.

Sam navigated around the tight turns and reached the chasm as a lakitu lowered Otto's team back onto the track. The blond used a mushroom he got from the row of item boxes preceding the chasm and blazed ahead of Otto. He got past the chasm area and passed through another set of item boxes, getting another mushroom. He waited until he reached the bridge on the final straightaway before using it. It seemed like he was going to win as he prepared to start the second lap. He was almost across the bridge when a red shell slammed into the back of his kart, making it tumble off the bridge and into the river below. Otto got across the bridge and started the next lap in first place.

"Hey, I'm not doing so bad." The skater said.

"Don't count your chickens yet. That was only the first lap." Sam shot back as his kart landed, allowing him to continue the race. He reached the first set of item boxes and got a spiny shell. He decided to hold it though as he reached the cannon and got blasted.

Meanwhile, Otto was in the middle of his flight.

'_Hmmmm__… I wonder…_' He thought as he pulled the control stick back. Doing so caused his kart to tip backwards. When the kart cleared the fence at the mountain, it glided through the air for a little bit before landing.

'_Heh. For his first time, he's certainly not doing too bad._' Sam thought as his kart landed.

He tossed the spiny shell, which collided with Otto and tossed him into the air as he reached a set of item boxes. The blond passed Otto, grabbing a double item box in the process. When the roulettes ended, Wario got a bob-Omb while Koopa Troopa got a green shell. Sam made Wario switch and toss the bomb backwards. It started ticking. Luckily, Otto was able to move out the way and avoid the explosion.

After clearing the rocky part of the course, the redhead swerved around the giant boulders and navigated the sharp turns. He would've fell at the second turn if he didn't push the B button and stopped. Both racers entered the chasm area again after hitting a couple of boxes. Because Koopa Troopa was in back after switching with Wario, Sam didn't get a new item, but Otto, who had Mario in back, got the plumber's special, a fireball. He made the one in the red hat toss his item forward. Several red fireballs shot out and struck Sam's kart, making him spin out and fall into the giant hole.

"Cool!" The redheaded skater said with excitement as he passed the chasm and got onto the bridge.

'_Man! I can't believe I'm having so much fun! Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing Lars the stud challenged me and—WHAT!.?.!_'

Immediately following that thought, his team fell off the bridge. Sam was able to pass and begin the final lap as Otto's kart landed back on the track.

'_I gotta control my thoughts. And what was that last one about!.?_'

He couldn't concentrate for the rest of the race. At the end, Sam won with at least a minute lead against the other boy.

"Ugh! I can't believe I choked like that!" Otto yelled, dropping the controller on his lap.

"Come on. It wasn't _that_ bad." Sam comforted. "Besides, it was your first time. Everybody messes up on their first time." Otto picked his head up.

"I guess…" He said as he picked up the controller. "Let's go again."

"Right." Sam nodded.

Later…

It was sunset and after losing almost every single race badly, Reggie and Lars reached the cul-de-sac.

"Man, I stink at that game." The older adult groaned.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Reggie said as they walked up the stairs to the brunet's front door. "After all, it was only your first day."

"Yeah, but fifty losses!.?" Lars exclaimed as they reached the door. "How am I gonna get better in six days?"

"Don't worry about it, alright? Just get some sleep and we'll go back to the arcade first thing tomorrow morning."

"Alright." Lars sighed. "Thanks for your help, Reg."

"Anytime." Reggie replied. "See ya tomorrow."

"Good night." The brunet said before going inside. The violet haired girl sighed as she made her way down the stairs.

At the Rockets' house…

"This is starting to get boring." Sam said with a yawn as Otto suffered yet another loss. "Let's quit for today."

"But I'm starting to get better! Come on. One more race." Otto pleaded as the blond got up and walked towards the door.

"See you tomorrow, Otto." was all Sam said as he closed the door.

He turned to go back home when he saw a truly blessed sight: Reggie standing in the middle of the cul-de-sac. The setting sun outlined her features perfectly. The older Rocket also noticed the blond boy standing. Sam grinned and ran over to her, grabbing her in a loving embrace when he got to her.

"I missed you so much." He said when they separated.

"Same here. I guess Otto came to you after all, huh?" Reggie asked.

"Ugh… Please don't ask me about it." Sam groaned. Reggie gave a chuckle.

"That bad, huh?"

"_Oh_ yeah." Sam replied. "So how about you? How's that new arcade?" Reggie gave a grimace.

"Let's change the subject."

"Oh no you don't." Sam said with a sly grin. "I want to know what happened."

"Maybe later."

"Maybe over dinner? My mom should be done by now." Sam offered.

"Sounds great." Reggie replied. She pulled Sam in for a kiss as they embraced again.

'_Man why can't that be me?_' Lars thought.

He was watching the scene from his room with much jealousy. He then looked up towards the second floor of the Rockets' house and saw his crush watching the two lovebirds as well. The two rivals locked eyes for a moment before they separated.

'_When this is over, my dear Otto, you'll be mine and I will no longer be alone. I hope…_'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Post-chapter Conversation

"Well, that's it for Chapter Three!" I said to the camera. "Will the two rivals improve in time for the race? Will Otto ever figure out what the weird thoughts mean? Will they ever kiss? Tune in next time!"

"Hey, something just crossed my mind." Izzy said to me.

"What is it?"

"Isn't it bad to eat eggs raw?"

"Is it?" I asked, scratching my head.

"Probably, but what does that have to do with anything, big brother?" Iggy asked.

"Well, you got at least two dozen eggs and we tossed them all at Otto." Izzy replied.

"Yeah. That was the best." I said with a chuckle. Izzy rolled his eyes.

"And Lars licked every single one off his head."

"And we got great pictures!" Iggy cheered, holding up a bunch of cameras.

"The thing is, why didn't he get sick or something?"

"Maybe you _don't_ get sick when you eat raw eggs." I said with a shrug.

"So then he's safe." Iggy agreed with a nod.

"I guess…" Izzy said with uncertainty.

"Ahem!" A voice yelled. We turned to find Otto, who looked extremely POed. He was holding a bucket in one hand.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked.

"And what's with the bucket?" Izzy asked. Otto gave us a cold glare.

"You got Lars sick!" He roared. Izzy, Iggy, and I gulped. The skater pulled out a picture with his free hand. "Here! Take a look!" He handed us the picture. I grabbed it and we took a look. Lars was shown lying in bed and puking into a bucket. We immediately turned away, our faces turning green. Izzy ran away.

"Oh man… That's gnarly." I groaned, holding my stomach.

"Blech!" Iggy said, stumbling dizzily. "You ain't kidding."

"Hey, where's Izzy?" I asked. The three of us looked around ourselves before we heard vomiting. I turned to Otto. "So what's the bucket for?"

"This." The auburn haired boy said with an evil smirk. He brought the bucket back. Iggy's eyes widened as he stepped backwards.

"D-don't tell me that has Lars' barf in it!"

"Oh man… That was sick." Izzy groaned as he walked back, holding his stomach. "What'd I miss?"

I grabbed him and placed him in front of me.

"Here's your man! He's my muse, so he gave me the idea!" I yelled desperately.

"Huh?" Izzy looked at Otto, who was getting ready to empty the bucket's contents. His eyes widened. "Oh hell naw!" He grabbed me and put me in front of him. "He's the author! Slime him! Slime him!"

"WHAT!.?.!" I roared as I starting fighting with Izzy. Otto gave an impatient glance.

"Look! I don't care if I gotta get one or all three of ya! I'm slimin' somebody!"

"RUN AWAY!.!.!" Iggy screamed. Izzy and I got out of our fight and turned to him.

"That's the smartest thing you've said all fic." My partner said as we got up.

"Shut up and run!" I yelled as we bolted away from the crazed skater.

"Get back here!.!.!" Otto shouted as he gave chase.


	6. Chaos in Baby Park

(Note: Originally posted on 9/19/04)

Pre-chapter Conversation

(A/N: Beware! This one's kinda long!)

Friday…

"Ahhh… Another week, another chapter to post." I said as I walked out of the hotel Izzy, Iggy, and I were staying in. For some reason, they left before I got up. I didn't give it any concern as I stretched my limbs out. I then looked at my watch.

"Well, better get going."

I started walking, whistling "E.G.G.M.A.N.," Dr. Robotnik's Sonic Adventure 2 theme. It was calm day. The sun was shining, although you couldn't tell with the way the sky looks in this dimension. The seagulls were soaring through the air.

About five minutes passed before I heard the sound of plastic rolling against concrete. I turned and saw Otto speeding by on his skateboard. He must be going to the studio. He sure seemed to be in a hurry though. I took a look at my watch. There was plenty of time to get there. I shrugged and waved at him.

"Hey, Ot—" He sped past, grabbing my arm in the process. "—to?" He kept moving, dragging me along with him! "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!"

I was dragged along the street before I ran alongside him. I tried to move away, but he had a tight grip.

"What in the world are you—Yikes!" I moved behind him to avoid a car. "—Doing grabbing me like that!.?"

Otto faced me.

"Lars and me need your help with something." He simply replied.

"And this can't wait til we get to the studio why!.?" I asked as we approached a ramp. We went up it and launched into the air. We did a pretty weird-looking 360 before we landed. He then turned and went up the hill towards the cul-de-sac.

"Hey! This isn't the way to the studio!" I protested. The skater glared at me.

"Can't you just enjoy the ride!.? Besides, we're not going to the studio."

Nothing more was said as we continued up the hill. We soon got to Otto's house. He finally let go of me. I panted for a good ten minutes.

"Now…I know…how Izzy felt…when he ran… all over…Odaiba in…Dimension Hoppers 3."

Another few minutes passed before I caught my breath. We walked inside. We went into the living room, where Lars was sitting on the couch. The redhead sat next to the brunet as I sat across from them. I gulped as a sudden realization came to me.

"Uhhh… You guys aren't still mad about what happened last week, are you?" They both glared at me before relaxing.

"Nope." Lars replied.

"Whew!" I sighed with relief.

"Like I said, we needed your help." Otto said. I leaned back into the couch.

"So what can I do for you?" Otto and Lars looked at each other.

"You sure about this?" Lars whispered.

"Of course! Izzy wanted us to keep him busy for awhile. What other way is there?" Otto replied.

"Fine." The older boy shrugged. "At least this'll be fun." He smirked. Otto returned the smirk before they turned back to me.

"Well, we haven't decided how to do our eventual kiss." The redhead said. I blinked.

"But that's not for another three chapters. Two after this one gets posted."

"We know, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared." Lars said. I rubbed my chin before shrugging.

"Good point. So what do I have to do?" The future lovers grinned at each other before turning back to me.

"Just watch us and tell us which kiss you want us to do." Otto replied. I gulped again before nodding. The smaller skater grinned before turning to Lars and closing the distance between each other. They locked lips and played a game of tonsil hockey. They both kept one hand on each other's face while the other was around each other's waist. They soon separated from each other, panting. They gave each other a loving glance before turning to me.

"So…what'd you…think?" Lars asked between breaths. I was awestruck at the performance. I shook my head and cleared my throat.

"Hmmmm… It could use a little more feeling. Remember, you're both experiencing your first ever kiss." I said, assuming the role of director. "It's supposed to be like magic. You're releasing years of bottled up feelings into about a minute of intimacy."

"Right." Otto nodded before he and Lars jumped in again.

Later…

I stumbled out of the house with a red face and wide eyes. My mouth was hanging open and blood was leaking out of my nose. I sat on the grass and looked ahead. A few moments passed before I spoke.

"I saw things only the greatest of slash authors can describe…" My blush disappeared when I noticed it was dark. "Aw man! It's too late to post the chapter! I gotta wait until tomorrow!"

I kicked the ground before walking back to the hotel.

Saturday…

"Ok. Let's try this again." I said as I walked out of the hotel.

It was the afternoon and I was ready to go after seeing plenty of new episodes of my favorite shows, including Sonic X. Things went pretty smoothly for the most part as I walked, but once again, someone grabbed me while speeding by. Unlike yesterday, Reggie was the author-napper.

"What…now!.?" I panted as I ran to avoid getting dragged. The girl with regal hair glared at me.

"We need to have a serious talk!" She shouted. I raised an eyebrow.

"What'd _I_…do!.? You've never even…been in any of…these skits!"

She dragged me to the Shack, where a slew of RP characters (minus Otto, Lars, Twister, and Keoni) were waiting.

"That's the problem! You've hardly included us in the story!" She said. The other characters shouted in agreement. I breathed hard for a bit before glaring at them.

"First of all, the fic's about Otto and Lars, NOT you guys!" I then turned to Reggie and Sam, who were sitting together. "Second, you've been in every chapter so far!" I said to the girl.

"Well, what about us?" Ray asked, pointing to himself, Tito, and Noelani. "Otto's my son, after all." I raised an eyebrow at the man in the hat.

"Do you _really_ want to see him kissing Lars?" Ray backed down after that one.

"Good point."

"Well, what about me, cuz?" Tito asked.

"Same question. Besides, I don't have any ideas for scenes involving the Shack." I replied.

Noelani stepped up next. Before she spoke, I said six simple words.

"Written before Island of the Menehune."

"Gotcha." She said before moving back to her husband.

"Anybody else?" I asked, crossing my arms. I was then swarmed by the other characters.

Today (Sunday, 9-19-4)…

"Ugh… What a day yesterday was…" I yawned as I trudged through a corridor of the studio. I decided to leave before the crack of dawn to avoid any unpleasantness.

"I can't believe I got rushed like that." I shuddered at the memory as I rubbed my sore head. I sighed angrily as I remembered that I'm a whole two days late.

"At least now I can _finally_ get to business."

I walked up to a door that was clearly marked, "Race across Rainbows." I grabbed the knob and turned it. It was dark in the room. I reached for the light switch.

°Flick!°

"**SURPRISE!.!.!**" A ton of voices yelled. I was shocked to see every RP character (minus Twister and Keoni) in the room. My eyes widened before I looked around.

The entire room was decorated with balloons, confetti, and banners. To my left was a table with a bunch of gifts on it. To my right was a table full of food. I blinked before turning to Izzy and Iggy, who were standing in the middle of the room.

"What's this about?" I asked.

"Don't you know what today is, Daddy?.!" Iggy shouted joyfully. I shrugged before Izzy slapped his head.

"Leave it to the boss to forget…" He muttered to himself before smirking. "Well, I guess we'll just have to show ya."

He and Iggy moved aside to reveal a small table that had a cake. On it were no less than nineteen candles. I gasped as I moved towards it. I noticed that the cake had Shadow the Hedgehog, Bowser, and Lars pictured on it.

"Happy birthday!.!.!" Everyone cheered. I felt tears coming to my eyes.

"I can't believe I forgot… I've been so busy." I wiped my tears as I turned to the camera. "Nineteen years ago, in a hospital at Honolulu, Hawaii, I bought a ticket and got on the roller coaster we call life."

Everybody else gave me a freaked out look. I gave them an exasperated look.

"I was born."

"We know _that_, but did you have to say _that_?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, Dad. That kinda stunk." Iggy agreed.

"I guess I should've used a video game metaphor, huh?" I said, scratching my head. "So everything that happened the past two days…"

"Was just to keep you away while we set up the party." Izzy finished.

"So you _do_ care, huh?" I said with a smirk. He crossed his arms.

"Don't push it. Hurry up and make a wish. We still have to do the chapter, ya know." I turned back to the cake and held my chin. I grinned when I thought of my wish.

"I wish—"

"And don't say, 'For more RP slash fics'!" I glared at my partner before returning my gaze to the cake.

"I wish…"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I then blew out the candles. Everybody clapped before Iggy handed me a decent-sized box that was wrapped in white paper. It was tied with a red bow.

"Here! This is from Izzy." He said. I gave the boy in question a grin.

"Is that so?"

He turned away with a scowl and a small blush.

"It's just a little something I picked up." He glowered at me. "And ya better like it, 'cause I certainly won't!" I raised an eyebrow before pulling the ribbon. Everybody else edged away.

°BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!°

I was sent flying through the roof much like how Twister was in the intro. My clothes were blackened.

"Wow! He knew exactly what I wanted!" I yelled with a huge grin. I looked at the camera. "Enjoy the chapter! For now, I'm blasting off agaaaaaaaaaaain!.!.!" I became a star.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Race across Rainbows

Chapter Four

Chaos in Baby Park

It's been three days since Otto and Lars started training for their race. They're starting to improve somewhat. Lars has almost mastered the Rocket Start perfectly while Otto still has some trouble doing a Mini-Turbo. Of course, both males have had trouble keeping up with the demand of racing using 150cc engines. Racing against seven other teams that can somehow use those insane items will make anybody a little nervous, not to mention they had something else on their minds. Otto's mind has been plagued with weird thoughts about the brunet. The situation has been no different for Lars, who couldn't stop thinking about the auburn haired boy. Now we join the purple-clad guy and the violet haired girl at the top floor of the Yaoi Brothers Arcade.

"Ugh! Not again…" Lars grumbled at the results. He had just lost yet another race. He was playing by himself at the moment. His companion was watching him.

"Look on the bright side," Reggie started. "At least you got in a decent place."

"You call fourth 'decent?.!'" Lars hissed. "I should just try a new course."

"How about this one?" The girl grabbed the boy's controller and selected one of the courses in the Mushroom Cup. Lars raised an eyebrow at her choice.

"Baby Park? Now I know this is a little kid's game." Reggie narrowed her eyes.

"Just race." She said as she handed the controller back to Lars.

"Yes ma'am."

The screen faded and Lars found his usual team in last place. This time, his team was on a course surrounded by amusement park rides. The course was just a really big oval. There were no noticeable features about the course, except for the pictures of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi that were strewn near the starting line. Unlike the other tracks in the game, this one has seven laps. Lakitu appeared to start the race.

'_Ok Lars, you can do it._' The brunet thought as the turtle in the cloud started the countdown with the first red light. '_Just concentrate._'

The second red light went on. Lars gripped the controller tightly. The final red light glowed as he anxiously waited for the race to begin. He jammed his thumb into the A button as all three lights turned green. His purple Cadillac shot ahead of a good number of racers. He had performed a perfect Rocket Start.

'_Alright!_' Lars grinned as he pulled himself into first place and reached the first turn, as well as the first set of item boxes (a lot of firsts, huh?). He drifted into the turn and got an item box.

As the roulette started, he quickly performed a Mini-Turbo. As a green shell was placed into Waluigi's hand, a red shell struck the kart and Lars was pushed into fifth place. A quick Mini-Turbo got him back in the race. He made his characters switch places as he reached the second row of boxes. As he got into third place, a giant banana peel appeared in Donkey Kong's hand. Lars steered the kart straight and started the second lap.

Almost as soon as he crossed the starting line, a red shell alarm appeared at the bottom of the screen. Lars tossed the banana peel back, causing his characters to switch again. The shell was blocked and a couple of the other racers tripped on the discarded fruit. He tossed the green shell backwards as he reached the first set of item boxes. A bob-Omb appeared in Waluigi's hand. Since he was a considerable distance from the second place team, he tossed the bomb ahead. It landed just in front of the second set of boxes and exploded, sending both the first and second place teams soaring. As Lars approached the item boxes, the spiny shell alarm activated, not that it meant much to him. He slowed down and allowed the shell to strike the first place team again. The explosion also got the second place team.

'_Must be my lucky day._' He thought with a shrug as his team got into first.

He drifted around the next corner and started the third lap. He got hit by a red shell. He was pushed into second place as he sped up and hit the first set of item boxes. Another bomb appeared in Waluigi's hand. Lars tossed it back when he saw a red shell coming in close. Unfortunately, the shell was too close, resulting in his team getting tossed into the air by his own item. After getting his bearings back, he noticed that the track was littered with banana peels and shells.

'_Must be from the other racers._'

He swerved around the stray items and reached the second set of boxes. He drove through a double item box and got a red shell and a mushroom. Lars used the mushroom, causing his characters to switch again. Donkey Kong was in back while Waluigi drove. He started the fourth lap and used the shell. It hit the team ahead of him. Lars passed through and got into first place again. He drifted through the set of boxes. Just as he received his item, he tripped on a banana peel. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then got hit by a spiny shell. When he was finally able to move, he found himself in fifth.

'_Guess I spoke too soon when I said this was my lucky day._' Lars thought with a sigh. His kart dragged Donkey Kong along for a bit before he got to the next set of items.

When the roulette ended, the monkey was juggling three mushrooms. Lars used one of them and the kart zoomed forward, passing a team and starting the fifth lap in the process. He used the second mushroom to get into third place and hit a double item box. As he drifted around the corner, Waluigi got a red shell. Lars used the last mushroom and then the red shell when his characters switched places. He passed the second place team and avoided a few more banana peels.

'_Man! It's hard to get around these things!_' He thought with a grunt as he drifted around the straightaway. He almost didn't get an item, but he managed to grab a box. A red shell was placed into Donkey Kong's hand. Lars made the ape toss it just as he started the sixth lap.

He got back into first place as he hit a double item box. Both of his characters got a mushroom. He immediately used both to strengthen his lead. He got another double box as he drifted around the second turn. Another mushroom and a green shell appeared in Waluigi and Donkey Kong's hands respectively. He used the mushroom to propel himself past the starting line to begin the final lap.

Just before he was able to reach the first set of item boxes, the entire track was struck by a bolt of lightning, causing his team to shrink. He continued on by doing two Mini-Turbos. As he got through the straightaway, a red shell got him. That was shortly followed by a spiny shell. His team was thrown into the air, allowing a couple of the other teams to pass him. When Lars' kart landed, he scrambled to get to the finish line, but he got hit by a chain chomp and a Bowser shell. He wound up in last place after that disaster. He gaped as he dropped the controller.

"Lars…?" Reggie held a hand out as he started shaking. Lars would have screamed, but he remembered he was in a public place. He instead bowed his head.

"It's impossible." He said through gritted teeth. A few tears even threatened to fall.

He knew perfectly well that it was only a game, but there was more riding on this. Much more. If were to wind up losing against Otto, he would have to tell him everything; that he's bi and that he's in love in him. There's no way the younger boy would return those feelings.

"Lars, calm down." Reggie comforted as she looked around for signs of anybody looking. Luckily, no one took notice of the brunet's plight.

A few thoughts entered Lars' mind as he tried to control himself. Of these thoughts, memories of the young Rocket's battles against him came into play. Hockey game after Hockey game, race after race, confrontation after confrontation, diss after diss. A high percentage of those endeavors ended in utter defeat for the young adult.

'_I won't give up._'

More memories flooded his mind. Sending the auburn haired boy sidelong glances whenever he entered the same room. Long nights with thoughts of the boy on his mind. The question of what it would feel like to hold him in his arms weighing heavily on him every single waking moment.

'_I can't give up._'

One more memory entered his mind. The challenge he made four days ago. The insult he gave the boy of his dreams. The same insult he used time after time again when they were kids. He again went through the consequences of his loss and what may happen if he won.

"I'll never give up." He muttered as he raised his head. Reggie gasped as she looked at his eyes. They were staring intently at the screen, burning with flames of great rage and determination. He then turned to his companion, who backed away at the stare.

"I won't leave until I win first place." He said. Reggie blinked and returned the stare with one of her own. It wasn't as ferocious as the brunet's, but it was understandable. She knew what he was fighting for: The love and affections of another. She nodded.

"Then let's do it." Lars returned the nod and turned back to the screen. He chose to race on the same track again.

Like in the previous race, he started out in last place. He waited for Lakitu to start the race. The turtle started counting down from three. With each second that went by, Lars squeezed his controller. It seemed like he may break it if the race didn't start.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait long. As soon as the green light lit up, he jammed the accelerator button and performed a Rocket Start with no trouble at all. Unfortunately, the rest of the race didn't go as smoothly. In his blind rage, he used every single item he got immediately. He got hit at least once every turn. In almost every race following that one, he lost badly. He always got hit by multiple items. Spiny shells in one race. Bowser shells in another. Teams with stars. Red shells galore. Just about everything but the kitchen sink was thrown at him. Despite his many losses and pleas from his friend to try another track, he kept playing on that one, steadily getting better and better until it happened.

It was the final lap of Lars' twenty-fifth race. He was in third place. He drifted around the first turn and got three mushrooms, which Donkey Kong started juggling. He used one and switched with Waluigi. A red shell was thrown at him. He switched back as he went into a drift. Just as the shell was nearing him, he activated one of the other mushrooms, allowing him to speed ahead and avoid the projectile. He got into second place as he used the last mushroom to hit an item box. As soon as he made the turn, a spiny shell flew over his head and hit the first place team. Because his kart was going at full speed, Lars started spinning out as he reached the end of the explosion. He was still going though as he went across the finish line, in front of the other team.

Lars had gotten first place.

"I…I did it…" He said in disbelief as his characters cheered on screen. "I freakin' did it…" He dropped the controller and grabbed Reggie in a tight hug.

"I DID IT!.!.!" He cheered as he cried tears of joy. "I finally won for a change!"

"Lars…! I'm happy for you, but could you let me go!.?.!" Reggie croaked. Lars quickly let go and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry about that." He said with a sheepish chuckle. "But I did it!" He laughed.

"Great…" Reggie said as she coughed. She gave him a smile. "Now all you have to do is practice up a bit more and you'll beat Otto with no trouble at all."

"Yeah." Lars nodded. "Before we go on though, could we take a break?" Reggie chuckled.

"Sure."

Meanwhile…

"I—°Bonk!°—can't—°Bonk!°—do—°Bonk!°—it!.!.!" Otto screamed as he smacked his head against the wall.

Like Lars, he was having trouble on the Baby Park course. Sam was watching from the couch with a look of amusement and mild boredom.

"You know, you're gonna get brain damage if you keep that up." He offered with a grin. His head was propped up on a hand. The redhead gave him a look of exasperation.

"And you don't think I already did while shredding over the years?" Sam held up his chin and looked at the ceiling. He turned back to Otto.

"Good point. Carry on."

"It just makes no sense!" Otto yelled as he gave the wall one last smack. He dizzily made his way back to the couch. "Those guys cheat so much, it's not funny!"

"It's something you'll just have to live with." Sam said indifferently. "There's nothing else to say except keep trying. Don't give up. You're not _going_ to give up, are you?" He gave a smirk.

"Hell no!" Otto shot back as he picked up the controller. "Otto Rocket's no quitter!" He picked to race on the same track again. Sam gave his friend a smile as he sat back to watch another round of losses.

'_He seems determined to win._' He thought. '_But can he do it?_'

Otto's usual team was in last place as the screen opened on the starting line of the tiny track. Lakitu appeared on screen and got ready to start the countdown. The first red light turned on.

'_I gotta win._' The redhead thought. '_I have to beat Lars so that these stupid thoughts won't be in my head anymore._' The second light turned on.

'_Seeing him get humiliated by my mad skills will get me out of this streak of beefs and wipe outs. …But I hope I don't hurt his feelings too badly._' He vigorously shook his head as the third light turned on.

'_I must win._'

He pounded the A button as the word "START!" appeared on the screen. He performed yet another perfect Rocket Start. Since his first day of training, he's been able to do the Rocket Start flawlessly. It was like second nature to him. It should be expected, of course. After all, the trick _has_ his namesake. However, like always, a series of unfortunate events followed the perfect start. During that race, he suffered so many attacks that he was lucky to get in at least sixth place. Needless to say, that wasn't good enough for the young man.

'_I have to get in first place. If I don't, I'll surely lose against him when we race each other._'

So he tried again. That race turned out ok for him. He was able to actually perform a few Mini-Turbos, although they were sloppily done. But thanks to a fake item box, he only got in fourth. He still refused to give in to the pressure.

'_If I lose, I'll have to tell him my most kept secret, although I have **no** idea what that is._'

He tried again. He steadily got better at Mini-Turbos. Nonetheless, he still lost, thanks to a lightning bolt and a well-placed bob-Omb that exploded just inches from the finish line.

'_Hmmm… What would it be like to twirl some of his hair around my finger? I mean, I gotta beat him!_'

He got really close this time. He got in third place, following a hit from a green shell. He kept trying.

Sixty losses later…

'_I refuse to give up._' Otto thought dully. Sam was snoring as he prepared to start yet another race. His team started out in last place.

When Lakitu started the race, he executed a Rocket Start and got in third place. He fought for position with the two racers ahead of him as he reached the first turn and drove through an item box. Mario, who was currently in back, got a fake item box. Otto promptly discarded it and made the plumber switch places with Yoshi.

'_Maybe I can get an egg._' He thought as he reached the second set of boxes. He drifted and performed a Mini-Turbo as a roulette started.

He got to second place as a mushroom was placed into the dinosaur's hand. He used it to catch up to the first place team as he started the second lap. Both teams rammed into each other as they reached the first turn. Otto got a red shell from one of the item boxes. He allowed the other team to get ahead before firing it. The shell hit its mark and he passed the other team, climbing into first.

After hitting an item box, the red shell alarm activated. When the roulette ended, Yoshi was holding an egg, which Otto quickly tossed backwards. He was protected from the attack as he started the third lap. He quickly drifted to the left at the first turn so that he could grab a double item box. When the roulettes ended, Yoshi got a fake item box while Mario got a green shell. Otto groaned as he tossed the fake box back, allowing his characters to switch places. He grinned when he noticed a star standing in the middle of the road.

'_Must've come from the egg._'

He promptly grabbed the star and a gold aura surrounded his kart. The speed of his kart increased as he hit a double item box. Yoshi got another egg as the fourth lap started. Otto's invincibility ended after he passed the first turn. In the straightaway, he saw a Bowser shell spinning. He narrowly avoided it as the red shell alarm sounded, followed by the spiny shell alarm. He was able to defend himself with the green shell, but he resided himself to a spiny fate and tossed the egg forward.

'_Maybe another star will pop out._' Otto thought as he saw the ever-familiar scene of his team getting blasted in an explosion of blue. Another team passed him as he did a Mini-Turbo to get his speed back.

When he started the fifth lap, he saw a mushroom, banana peel, and a bob-Omb lined up side by side. Before the bomb could explode, he went for the mushroom and sped around the first turn, getting an item box in the process. A red shell appeared and he used it to knock the team in front of him into second place. He swerved around a couple of banana peels and got a mushroom from the second set of boxes. He used the mushroom to start the sixth lap.

'_Woah. I'm not doing too bad this time._' He thought as he drifted into the first turn, missing the boxes completely. When he was halfway through the straightaway, he got hit by a stray green shell. Two teams passed him as he reached a double item box.

'_Oh hell no. There's no way I'm gonna lose again._' Otto thought bitterly as he started the final lap. He looked at his items and noticed that Yoshi was juggling three mushrooms and Mario was holding a fireball in his right hand.

When he passed the first turn, he made his characters switch and tossed the plumber's special. Five fireballs spread out and struck both the first and second place teams. Otto's heart raced as his characters switched back. He used a mushroom to pass both karts and get into first. He passed the final turn when he saw the spiny shell alarm at the bottom of the screen.

'_No way! I'm too close!_' He roared inwardly as he again pressed the Y button. The kart shot forward. The spiny shell was on top of him as he pressed the Y button one more time.

"Nooooo!.!.!.!" He shut his eyes at the last second.

°BOOOOOOOOOOOM!.!.!.!.!.!.!°

"Don't tell me I lost again." He said to himself as he cracked an eye open. He gasped as he saw his characters dancing as they drove.

Otto won first place!

"Yes! I did it!.!.!" The auburn haired boy cheered as he danced around. "I did it! I did it! I did—°Yawn°—it…"

He fell back onto the couch and felt his eyelids growing heavy. He turned his head towards the door as he heard it opening. Before his eyes fully closed, he saw a familiar bit of purple.

'_So beautiful… But… Aww forget it. I deal with it whenever…_' He started snoring.

Reggie and Lars walked in on the scene. They looked at the screen, which was displaying the results of Otto's race. Their gaze then shifted to the sleeping eighteen year-olds. They looked at each other.

"I guess training was tough." Reggie said with a shrug.

"Guess so…" Lars trailed off. He kept his gaze on Otto. "He looks so cute there." He blushed. He's never said anything like that out loud before.

"Come on. Let's go to the kitchen. I'll cook us something." Reggie said as she started walking past the couch.

"_You_ cook? Since when did you do something so motherly?" Lars asked with fake shock. Reggie gave him a light glare.

"Funny. Now come on."

"Hang on. I'll be right there." Lars replied as he walked towards the couch. The girl's eyes widened.

"You're not going to do something to my brother, are you?" Lars gave her a cold glare.

"I'm playing this crazy game to try to get with him. Do you honestly think I would jeopardize all that hard work in a bout of lust?.!" He hissed just loud enough for Reggie to hear. The violet haired girl backed away with both hands held up.

"Sorry, sorry." She whispered as she walked into the kitchen. The brunet turned back to Otto.

'_He looks so peaceful… But I bet he's uncomfortable._'

He was probably making a huge mistake, but he didn't care. As long as the redhead didn't wake up, nothing can ruin this perfect scene. In one swift motion, he picked Otto up and held him in his arms.

'_He's so warm…_' Lars thought. He considered kissing the other boy, but decided against it. He instead walked up the stairs with the boy in his arms. He grunted as he went up each step.

'_He may have muscles, but he's heavy!_'

He soon made it into the door at the top of the staircase and opened it. As he stepped through the door, Otto started mumbling in his sleep. As Lars reached the bed, his eyes widened.

'_Did he…? Did he just say my name?_' He looked down at the smaller male, who kept saying his name over and over. Lars felt his cheeks flaring up. '_Could it be? Is he…?_' He shook his head and gently put Otto down on the bed. He put the blanket over the auburn haired boy.

"Adiós, my angel." He whispered as he bent down and kissed the other male on the forehead. Lars exited the room, but not before taking a quick look at the one he loves.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Post-chapter Conversation

I was still flying through the air. I had my arms behind my head. My legs were crossed. I gave a yawn.

"I wonder how long it'll be before I land." I said with boredom. "As a matter of fact, _where_ am I gonna land?"

It was then that I started to descend. I looked down and noticed I was heading towards a group of islands. My eyes widened. Those weren't any ordinary islands…

Meanwhile…

It was another beautiful day in Oahu. The sun shined brightly, baking all the beach goers a golden brown. The waves were beyond huge! They must've been at least fifteen to twenty feet high! Needless to say, the surfers took advantage of the swell.

"Man! What a set!" Twister yelled to his boyfriend, Keoni. Both of them were just leaving the water to take a break.

"Yea, cuz! Those are some tubes!" Keoni agreed. He stood his surfboard up and got behind Twister. He wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist and leaned against his back. "I'm glad you decided to come down. I missed ya." Twister dropped his board and turned around. He embraced the brunet.

"I missed you too, but it wasn't exactly my choice to come down here, remember? It was that author guy."

"Oh yeah…" Keoni said thoughtfully. He looked into the other's eyes. "We should really thank him."

"For what, the lumps I got from the landing?" The redhead asked, lifting his cap. Several lumps were revealed. The brunet chuckled as he put the hat back on the other's head.

"No. For bringing us together again." Twister put a finger to his chin before nodding.

"Yeah. You're right, but it's not like he's gonna just fall from the sky, right?"

"Right. Let's just enjoy the moment." Keoni said before leaning forward. The taller boy grinned before leaning towards him. They both closed their eyes and puckered their lips.

Just as they were about to swap spit…

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!.!.!" A faint screaming was heard. Both boys backed away from each other and looked around.

"Did you hear that, brah?" Keoni asked.

"Yeah." Twister replied. "Whatever it was, it sounds kinda familiar."

"I know what you mean. I know I heard that voice before, but from where?" The screaming started to get louder. A few seconds passed before Twister and Keoni looked at each other.

"You don't think—" They both started.

In the sky above, a star was seen. It quickly disappeared as the form of my body was revealed plummeting towards the earth at an amazing speed!

"AhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHHH**HHHHHHHHH**!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

°CRASH!.!.!°

Twister and Keoni ran towards the crater that has formed in the sand. When the dust settled, my hands were seen at the edge of the hole. I had a dazed look on my face as I pulled myself out.

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me…" I sang dizzily. The two lovers raised an eyebrow at each other before they helped me up.

"Cuz, what happened to _you_?.!" Keoni asked with shock. I shook the sand out of my head and dusted myself off. I adjusted my crown before I turned to the two, who were holding hands.

"Short answer: I got my birthday wish." They both blinked at me.

"It's your birthday, dude?" Twister asked. I nodded.

"Well then, happy birthday, brah! What can we get ya?" Keoni inquired.

While I stood thinking, his boyfriend turned to him.

"What do you mean 'what can we get ya?'" He whispered. The brunet turned to him.

"Remember when I said that we should thank him?"

"Yeah."

"This'll be the perfect way to show him our gratitude."

"But what if he asks for something weird, like a pet Menehune of his own?" Twister shuddered. Keoni rolled his eyes.

"I thought that whole thing was over and done with years ago."

"Yeah well, I started having nightmares about them again." The boy in the hat said, turning away. Keoni made him face him.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. Just remember, they're not real. Got it?"

"They're not real…" Twister repeated before grinning. "Thanks a lot, Keoni!"

"Anytime." The other boy replied.

"I got it!" I announced, snapping my fingers. The other two turned to me with a questioning look. I pointed at them. "I wanna see you two kiss!" They both blinked before turning to each other.

"And you thought he was gonna ask for a pet Menehune." Keoni said, giving him a sly look. Twister shrugged.

"Hey, you never know."

"Well?" I asked impatiently. They turned back to me and whispered to each other. They both nodded at each other before turning to me again.

"It's fine by us. Why do ya want us to kiss, anyway?" Twister asked.

"Simple. In my first Lars/Otto fic, I had you two hook up at the end and in this one, I have you guys already together. In both fics, I didn't show anything." I answered. "And since I have yet to come up with an idea for a fic that fully concentrates on you two getting together, this'll have to do. So get smooching!"

"Well, you heard the guy." Keoni said, chuckling as he moved towards Twister.

"Hey, wait a min—Mmph!" The redhead was cut off as Keoni locked lips with him.

Twister struggled for a few seconds before he closed his eyes in ecstasy. He embraced the brunet. They both deepened the kiss, exploring each other's mouths. It felt like heaven to them, despite doing it at least a hundred times a day. For me, it ended all too soon as they separated, content with each other. I snapped my fingers before grinning at them.

"And me without a camera. Thanks a lot guys."

They turned to me with grins of their own.

"No prob. As long I get to kiss my hot boyfriend, I'll do anything." Keoni said, putting an arm around said boyfriend.

"Same here…" Twister agreed, still dizzy from the kiss. I chuckled before turning to the camera.

"In any case, will Otto ever figure it out? Will he and Lars be able to improve now that they both won a race? Speaking of which, will they EVER race each other? Tune in next time!"

Note: I've made a C2 community for RP slash fics only. At the moment, only the four fics I've posted so far are on there. You can check it out by going to the link that's in my profile. If anybody wants their fic(s) added to it, let me know by e-mail. I'm aware that I can just do it myself, but I feel that doing so would be overstepping my boundaries (although, _I'd_ be flattered if anybody added any of my fics to their community). I'd rather get the authors' permission first. I just wanted to say that. See ya on Friday!


	7. Sam VS Izzy

Pre-chapter Conversation

"_So my gift blasted you all the way to Oahu?_" Izzy's voice asked me. I was talking to him on a pay phone at the beach. Twister and Keoni were sitting on a nearby bench.

"Yeah," I answered, watching the two, who were sweet talking each other.

"You're so cute when you're scared, you know?" Keoni said. Twister blinked before blushing.

"Yeah right." He said, turning away.

"It's true." Twister turned and gave him a smirk.

"Yeah well, you're handsome when…" He held his chin. "Actually, you're handsome all the time." They both chuckled to that. I raised an eyebrow before getting back to the conversation.

"_I guess by all that, you found Twister and Keoni._" Izzy said.

"Yep. I had the redhead and your 'delectable pineapple' share their first on screen kiss." I smirked when I heard a stream of cursing on the other end.

"'Delectable pineapple?' Now _there's_ something I can call ya!" Twister said, leaning into the brunet. "You're my delectable pineapple. All nice and sweet to kiss." Keoni chuckled before meeting his lips in a quick kiss. "And in more ways than one."

"And you're my… What should I call you?" The brunet asked.

"Beats me." Twister shrugged. "But at least I got a nickname for you, my delectable pineapple." He wrapped his arms around Keoni.

"_WHAT!.?.! How dare he!.? Only **I** can call him that!_" Izzy screamed. I smirked slyly after hearing that.

"Izzy, are you _jealous_?" I choked back a laugh when I heard him stutter.

"_Of course not! I don't have any feelings for him whatsoever! Besides, I'm straight!_"

"_Then why do I see a blush on your face, brother?_" Iggy asked, laughing into the phone. I swore I could hear Izzy scowling.

"_Be right back._"

A few seconds passed before I heard screaming, followed by a crash, gunshots, glass shattering, and an explosion or two. There was silence for a couple of seconds.

"_Ok. Back._"

"What happened?" I asked.

"_You'll find out when you get back to the studio. That's another thing, how **are** you getting back here?_"

I shrugged, although he couldn't see me.

"I don't know. It would take too long to take a plane. I guess you're gonna have to take over as director."

Although it was muffled, I think I heard cheering on the other end. I glowered at the phone before I thought of something.

"Unless…"

I think I heard some cursing on the other end.

"_Unless what?_" Izzy asked somewhat angrily.

"Unless I can find one of this dimension's Chaos Emeralds." He groaned at that one. "Of course, the odds of one of the emeralds being here on the island are slim to nil."

It was then that I heard some giggling.

"Here Keoni, I want you to have this rock I just found as a symbol of our love." Twister said sweetly. Keoni gasped when he took a look at the rock.

"Twister… It's beautiful… Just like you." He said before kissing the taller boy. I turned to them with a glare.

"Do you mind? I'm talk—"

My eyes widened when I saw the "rock" Keoni had. It was the red Chaos Emerald of the RP dimension. I grinned at my luck as I approached them.

"Yoink!" I shouted as I grabbed it.

"Hey! That's mine, brah!" Keoni yelled as he and Twister stood up with a glare. I snickered as I tossed the emerald up and down.

"Sorry, I kinda need it." I then grabbed the phone with my other hand. "Izzy, I'll be there in a few seconds."

"_Alright. Before we get started though, can I ask ya a favor?_"

"What?" Izzy told me his request, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "Why would you want that?"

"_He beat me in my environment._" Izzy growled. "_No one beats me on my home turf and gets away with it! I want vengeance._"

"Man, when did I raise such a vengeful character?" I shook my head. "Alright. You get your wish."

"_Yes!_" Izzy cheered. "_Just you wait! I'll beat him and he'll suffer the same humiliation I did!_" He laughed evilly.

"Whatever. See ya in a few." I hanged up the phone and turned to the camera. "Time to start the chapter! See ya in a bit!"

"Hey! Give back my delectable pineapple's rock!" Twister yelled, charging towards me. I smirked as I tossed the emerald up.

"Chaos…" I grabbed it as the boy in the hat was mere inches away from me. "Control!"

Before he could get me, I disappeared in a flash of red light. Twister tripped and landed head first in the sand.

"You alright, Twist?" Keoni asked, walking up to his boyfriend. Twister sat up and coughed up some sand.

"Ugh… Yeah… But I lost your present." Keoni sat down and hugged him.

"That's alright. As long as I have you, I don't care." Twister turned and planted his lips on the other boy's.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Race across Rainbows

Chapter Five

Sam VS. Izzy

It was the next day and both of our competitors decided to take a break. After all, for the past four days, they've been playing Double Dash almost endlessly. Right now, we join Lars, who was currently skating around town.

'_Man! It feels good to be away from that crazy arcade and that stupid game for a change._' He thought happily.

As he skated, he wondered what was up with Otto yesterday. A blush crept onto his face at the memory.

'_He was mumbling my name in his sleep. Does that mean he loves me?_' He shook his head. '_Not a chance! I bet whatever he was dreaming about had to do with beating me in that race._' He scoffed.

'_There's no way I'm gonna lose. I'm gonna beat him and find out if he's gay or not._' He stopped for a moment. '_But what if he's not?_' He shrugged and continued skating.

'_I suppose I'll just have to move on and forget about him._' He kept silent for a moment. '_Pfft! No way! I'll just have to keep trying. I wonder—_'

"Heads up!" A voice yelled. Lars looked up. What he saw frightened him to no end.

"Oh my God! A SPINY SHELL!.!.! AAAAHHHH!.!.!"

A winged shell was coming in close, getting ready to send him into the stratosphere. He dove for cover. Everybody nearby gave him a weirded out expression. The object landed near his head. A pair of feet walked up to him.

"Dude, it was just a frisbee." The owner of the feet said as he picked up the plastic disc and walked off. Lars picked himself up.

"A frisbee? But I know I saw—" He gasped as he saw a red shell rolling along the ground towards him. "Oh crap!"

He jumped away from the shell, which was really a remote controlled car.

"Hey Mommy! Look at the scaredy man!" The owner of the car, a little girl, yelled as she pointed and laughed at him. Everybody else in the area roared with laughter as Lars skated away.

'_Man, what was that whole thing about?_' He thought as he put a hand to his head. '_I guess playing that game so much is finally taking its toll or something._'

Just then, he saw a bunch of banana peels in front of the fruit shop. He scoffed.

'_Ha! You may have fooled me twice, but no more! I know those aren't real!_'

And so, he skated right over the peels…and slipped.

"WOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

°CRASH!.!.!°

It seems that _those _were real.

"No, ya think?.!" Lars said sarcastically as he propped his head on an arm and drummed his fingers. He was covered with trash.

With Otto…

'_I can't believe I just fell asleep like that yesterday._' Otto thought as he walked along the beach with his surfboard in his arms. '_I know that I was real bored with playing and all, but seriously. I mean, Lars was **right** there! He could've seen my strategy!_' He put on a dreamy expression as he reached the water.

'_Lars… That dream last night… And also, I woke up in my bed when I know I fell asleep on the couch. Who brought me there?_' He shook his head as he went into the water.

'_And my forehead… It felt like something was on it all morning. It was a nice feeling though. Like someone was watching over me. Weird._'

Pushing the thought to the back of his head, he paddled out.

'_In any case, it's great to finally get out of the house and away from that game._'

As he got a decent distance away from shore, a wave started forming. He turned around and felt the wave pick up the board. Like so many times before, he stood on the board and guided it into the wave. Otto smirked as he closed his eyes.

'_Ahhh… I truly feel at peace when I'm out here. No worries, no video games, and most importantly, no Lars. Just me and the waves._ _Life should always be like this._'

It was then that he opened his eyes and his moment had ended.

"What the—? _Shells_?.!"

Yes, Otto was heading towards a bunch of green shells. By moving his body back and forth, he was able to swerve around the projectiles and even did a lovely jump in the air. He spun and landed back on the wave. He quickly looked back. The shells were gone.

"Whew!" He wiped his forehead. He looked ahead and saw a truly horrific sight.

"A Bowser shell!.!.!" His eyes widened as he noticed he was on a collision course with the giant shell. Its spikes were barely seen over the surface of the water.

To avoid it, he leaned his body to the right, ascending into the wave. Unfortunately, he went too far and lost his balance. He wiped out and the wave sent him into a massive spin cycle. When he was finally able to distinguish where the surface was, he swam up and broke through. He gasped for air as he leaned on his surfboard. He looked back at the area where he saw the shell. Instead of the spikes, he saw the tail end of a bunch of surfboards.

"What's going on with me?" He asked himself as he swam back to shore. "Why did I just see items from that game?" He held a hand to his forehead.

"I must be losing it." He reached the beach and sat down. As he caught his breath, he looked to his left and saw a cataquack heading right for him!.!.!

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

He ran home at warp speed, kicking up a ton of sand.

"I just wanted to ask him where the hot dog stand was." A little kid said. He was wearing an inner tube that looked like a duck. He was also covered from head to toe with sand.

(A/N: Just in case you don't know, cataquacks are the duck-like creatures that inhabit the Peach Beach course. They have round bodies and they can toss you up in the air with their beaks.)

The next day…

"I'm telling you, Reg, I saw a spiny shell flying at me yesterday!" Lars yelled. He and Reggie were heading to the Yaoi Brothers Arcade on their boards.

"And _I'm_ telling you, Lars, you're crazy!" The female of the two replied.

"But—" He started. Reggie sighed.

"Look, I know that it's been stressful, but hang tough. After all, the race is tomorrow." She said.

She was right. The brunet had to get as much training done today as possible. Luckily, after his victory on the Baby Park track, he's been winning races left and right. Now, it was time to hone his skills so that he could beat Otto.

When the duo reached the arcade, they saw Iggy hanging up some kind of poster near the entrance.

"There. Perfect." The young brunet said, admiring his work. Reggie and Lars got off their boards and walked up to him. Pictured on the poster was a random assortment of video game characters, as well as some text.

"'The Yaoi Brother Challenge?'" The violet haired girl read. Iggy jumped and spun around, glaring at the two.

"Don't ever do that again!.!.!" He yelled. He blinked and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. How's it going?"

"Fine. What's with the poster?" Lars asked.

"Oh, that's just something my brother decided to set up. He'll tell ya all about it." Iggy replied as he walked into the arcade. The two adults looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.

When they entered the main area, they walked over to the register. Izzy was busy cooking something on the grill. After a few minutes, he turned around and handed Iggy a plate with a burger and fries.

"Take this to table five." He said. The boy in the purple hat walked out of the counter. Izzy sighed and wiped some sweat from his head before facing Reggie and Lars. "Ah! Welcome! I assume you're playing your usual today?" He walked over to the computer.

"Yeah." Reggie replied, nodding. "But what's with this challenge thing you have set up?"

"Challenge?" Izzy asked, looking up from the monitor. "Oh! You mean the Yaoi Brother Challenge. It was boring sitting here at the counter everyday, so I decided to do this—Ummm… I guess you could call it a promotion."

"Promotion?" Lars asked. Izzy nodded.

"The way it works is that for the price of five dollars, you could challenge Iggy or me to any of the games we have in the arcade. We would name the challenge. If you win, you get a handsome prize and you could play any game for free and until closing time for an entire month. Lose and you can't come in for a week. You interested?" He leaned forward and gave Lars a grin.

"No, thanks." The older brunet replied, waving his hands. The younger brunet shrugged and pulled back.

"Maybe some other time. In any case, there are plenty of free stations today. So how long are ya playing for?"

"I guess six hours." Reggie answered. Izzy typed into the computer.

"Ok. Your station is number five. That'll be seven dollars and fifty cents." He held out his hand. The girl gave him a ten and he gave back two dollars and fifty cents. "Enjoy."

Reggie and Lars walked over to the elevator.

A few hours later, at the Rockets' house…

'_So bored…_' Sam thought.

He was currently playing with Otto, who was trying to get as better at the game as possible. Unfortunately, despite his victory two days ago, he couldn't beat the blond in a single race. After his tenth loss, he stood up, frustrated.

"Ugh! This is so boring!" He yelled.

"Otto…" Sam started irritably.

"I don't mean the game, Squid. I mean being cooped up in this house! I wanna get out!" The redhead stood still for a moment before snapping his fingers. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Otto turned to him.

"I know where we could go to practice!" He said cheerfully. Sam's eyes widened. He couldn't mean…

"We'll go to that new arcade I've been hearing about!"

'_Damn it!_' Sam thought. He then said, "Maybe you should take a break." But Otto wasn't listening. He ran up to his room, grabbed his gear, and bounded down the stairs.

"Come on, Sam! We gotta hurry!" He ran out. Sam stuttered, trying to think of a way to stop him, but nothing came out. He sighed and followed the other boy out of the house.

'_Oh well._' He thought with a shrug as he went into his house to get his stuff. '_It'll be nice to actually see Reggie during the day for a change. I hope she won't be too mad._'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sam and Otto walked into the arcade. When they got to the main area, they saw Izzy and Iggy arguing. The people sitting at the tables were enjoying the show.

"You're crazy! Everybody knows Bowser is the better villain!" The taller of the two brothers yelled.

"And I say you're an idiot! It's obvious that Dr. Robotnik's the better villain!" The shorter brother shot back.

"Bowser with his fire breath!" Izzy glared.

"Dr. Robotnik with his legion of killer robots!" Iggy returned the glare.

"Bowser!"

"Dr. Robotnik!"

"Numskull!"

"Idiot!"

"You Omochao! Bowser's better!"

"You Tingle! Dr. Robotnik beats Bowser any day!" Iggy retorted.

They both went back and forth, insulting each other. While the crowd cheered for their favorite brother, Sam and Otto turned to each other.

"Don't tell me _they're_ the owners of this place." The redhead said.

"I certainly hope not." The blond replied.

The brothers continued for quite sometime before…

"CASUAL GAMER!.!.!" Iggy roared, causing the crowd, Izzy, and Sam to gasp and gape at him. Otto looked confused at the silence. The younger Yaoi Brother slapped his hand over his mouth.

"B-brother… I…"

"You went too far that time…" Izzy said, bowing his head.

"Uhhh… Squid, what's a casual gamer?" Otto whispered.

"A casual gamer is someone who plays games very little, like about an hour every day." Sam replied. "They also use reviews, polls, and other things to decide what games they want." Otto raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" The blond slapped his head.

"It's gamer talk for shoobie."

"Ohhhh…" The redhead said, nodding. They turned back to the brothers.

"Sorry, but it's true. Dr. Robotnik _is_ better." Iggy said, causing the older brunet to glare at him.

"That does it!" He roared before lunging. In an instant, both brothers were brawling behind the counter. The crowd cheered as random sounds were heard. Otto and Sam faced each other with eyebrows raised before turning to the fighting duo.

"Excuse me." The blond said. He was ignored. "Excuse me!" He yelled a little louder. Still no answer. He took a deep breath, but Otto stopped him.

"**HEY! WE WANT SOME SERVICE!.!.!.!.!.!**"

Everybody else, including the Yaoi Brothers, held their ears.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! What was that?.!" Iggy yelled.

"Ack! Whoever did that has some set of lungs!" Izzy added.

"Ahem!" Otto said with his arms crossed. The two brunets looked up and noticed him and Sam standing. They both blinked and crossed their arms as they stood.

"Prepare for trouble!" Izzy started.

"Yeah, and make it double!" Iggy supplied.

"To protect the world from boredom!"

"To unite all gamers within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of closed-minded people!"

"To extend gay love to the stars above!"

"Izzy!"

"Iggy!"

"We're the Yaoi Brothers, gamers extraordinaire!"

"Surrender your bigotedness now or prepare to fight!"

"That's right!" They both ended, giving both Otto and Sam a thumbs-up. The latter two gave the siblings the most weirded out look they have ever received.

"What—" Otto started.

"The—" Sam added.

"HELL!.?.!" They both ended. Izzy and Iggy cleared their throats.

"Welcome to the arcade! What game would you like to play?" The latter asked. The former looked at the auburn haired guy closely. He grabbed Iggy. "What!.?"

"Conference." Izzy replied. He then said to Otto and Sam, "We'll be right with you." The brothers turned their backs on them.

"Brother, what is it!.?" Iggy hissed.

"Uhhh… Iggy, what did you say that Otto guy looked like?" Iggy put on a thinking pose.

"Let's see… He's supposed to be as tall as you, wears sunglasses, and…" His eyes widened.

"Go on…" Izzy prodded.

"Has dreadlocks that are arranged like Knuckles the Echidna's… You think that's him?"

"Yeah." Izzy nodded.

"So what do we do?" Iggy asked.

"Simple. That Lars guy has to be able to beat Otto. It's pretty obvious what we have to do." They separated and turned back to Otto and Sam.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Yes! Did you see me in that last turn!.?" Lars cheered. He and Reggie were riding in the elevator.

"I was right there. Of course I saw it." Reggie replied, rolling her eyes. Despite how crazy her friend was acting, she was happy for him. He has a lot more confidence in his racing skills than he did before his first win.

"I'm so gonna beat Otto!" The guy cheered, punching the air.

"Alright, alright. Let's just take a break before we go back to racing, alright?"

"Fine." The elevator stopped and the two adults walked towards the front desk. They gasped when they got there.

"What do you mean I can't come in!.?.!" Otto demanded. Izzy had his arms crossed. Iggy was standing on the other end of the counter.

"Exactly that. You can't come in." The older brother replied.

"That's not fair!"

"Well that's too bad." Izzy pointed to a sign under the menu. "And I quote, 'We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason whatsoever.'"

"Why you—"

"Sam! Otto!" Reggie said as she and Lars ran up to them.

"Reggie?" Otto said as she faced the two adults. He put on a forlorn expression when he saw the brunet. "Lars…"

"Otto…" Lars said with the same expression. They both blinked and turned away, crossing their arms and blushing. Reggie glared at Sam.

"What are you guys doing here?.! And what's going on?.!"

"Good to see you too." Sam grumbled. "Anyway, Otto wanted to come. I tried to stop him, but you know how he gets."

"Yeah, I know." Reggie rolled her eyes.

"And as for what's going on," He pointed at Izzy and Iggy. "They won't let Otto in."

"Huh?" Reggie turned to Iggy. "Why not?" Iggy put on a sheepish grin and shrugged. He then moved in close.

"I told him about that bet." He replied, pointing at Izzy, who was still arguing with Otto. "I'm afraid he went crazy." Reggie glared at him.

"That's the last time I tell _you_ a secret." She hissed.

"I thought you didn't want him to come, anyway." Sam whispered. Reggie turned to him.

"I didn't. But I didn't want it to happen like this." She lowered her head. "Man… I'm sorry about yelling at you."

"It's alright." Sam said before Reggie kissed him on the cheek. They embraced as Izzy and Iggy gasped.

"_That's _her boyfriend!.?.!"

"Really, Reggie dear, you could've done better." Izzy said, forgetting the argument. Iggy slapped his head as Sam separated from Reggie and gave the older brother a glare.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean!.?.!" He yelled. Izzy shrugged and put on a smirk.

"Oh nothing. I just thought she deserved a man with money and prowess at games." He said. Sam growled as he clenched his fists.

"Brother, don't get big headed." Iggy tried.

"I know what I'm doing, thank you very much." Izzy replied, still smirking. Sam was starting to shiver in anger. His knuckles turned white. It was then that he noticed a sign on the desk that was advertising the brothers' promotion.

"Fine! I challenge you to a game!" He yelled, pointing at the brunet. Everybody outside the group of six gasped. Izzy chuckled.

"Hmmmm… You're the first one to challenge me." He said. "So what game do you want to challenge me to?"

'_I hate his confidence…_' Sam thought bitterly. "I challenge you to Mario Kart: Double Dash."

"Very well then. Iggy, what's the game set up for a Double Dash challenge?"

Iggy walked around the counter and dug around until he found a piece of paper. He walked back to the group.

"It says here that the set up is a best two out of three match in VS. mode, using 150cc engines. You'll be racing on the Special Cup tracks." He said.

"Alright." Izzy turned back to Sam. "Is this ok with you?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Since you're the first one to challenge me, you don't have to pay the entry fee."

"Good. I wasn't planning to, anyway." The blond replied bitterly. He took Reggie's hand. "Come on."

"Hold it." Iggy said, stopping him. "There's another rule to the challenge. Only one witness is allowed."

"Fine." Sam sighed. "I pick—"

"Hang on."

"_What!.?_" Sam demanded.

"You and Izzy have to flip a coin to decide who gets to pick." Iggy answered. He gestured to Izzy. "Get over here."

The older boy walked around the counter and stood ahead of Sam. He reached into his pocket and took out a quarter.

"Heads says I pick."

"Alright." Sam replied. Izzy flicked the coin into the air. As it started descending, he turned and started walking.

"What the—?" Lars said. The coin landed and Izzy stopped at the top of the stairs.

"I made my decision." He said. Everybody else raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked. He then looked and noticed that the coin landed on heads. He sighed angrily. "Oh. So who do you pick then?"

"I pick the king." Izzy replied with a chuckle. Everybody else looked freaked out by his answer. Reggie then remembered what he said about the shirt Lars wears the first day they met. She turned to the older guy.

"He means you."

"Me?" Lars asked, pointing to himself.

"Oh yeah… Purple is a regal color. That's what he meant by 'the king.'" Iggy commented.

"Well? Let's go already." Izzy said as he continued to the elevator. Sam and Lars shrugged and followed.

"Good luck, Sammy." Reggie said.

"Thanks." Sam replied, waving as he went into the elevator. The crowd watching the fight went back to what they were doing.

"Here's something I don't get." Otto started. "Why did he turn around before the coin landed?" Iggy walked over to the coin and picked it up. He turned the coin around and saw another head. He, Otto, and Reggie put on looks of exasperation.

"It was a trick coin. Figures." All three said with a sigh.

In the elevator…

'_Heh. Trick coin. Works every time._' Izzy thought with a grin. He was leaning against the wall, switching his sight between Lars and Sam. '_This was a great plan. Now I'll show that Lars guy how to **really** race. Maybe he'll learn a thing or two and use that against Otto. Anything to help two guys get together._'

'_Still though._' He looked at Sam, who was glaring at him. '_It's almost too bad I have to use this guy as my guinea pig. Almost._'

'_What's he looking at?_' Sam thought. '_When I get through with him, he won't have anything to smirk about._' He looked at Lars before turning back to the owner of the arcade.

'_I can't believe **they're** in on this whole thing too. I can't wait until Lars races Otto. It'll be weird seeing them together._' He shrugged. '_Heh. I've seen worse._'

'_Man! This elevator is slow!_' Lars thought, looking at Izzy. '_I wonder. Why did he pick me, anyway?_' He then looked at Sam who was glaring coldly at the other eighteen year-old.

'_Everybody's so quiet. Not to mention everybody's had at least two lines of thought. Weird._'

The elevator stopped and the three boys stepped out. Lars and Sam followed Izzy into the Double Dash Room and sat down in front of a station. The other patrons were whispering about the fact that the owner of the arcade is actually playing something. After the younger brunet and the blond grabbed their controllers and made the proper adjustments, they got into the player select screen.

'_Hmmm… I guess I'll pick my favorite team._' Izzy thought as he selected to use Bowser, King Boo, and the Parade Kart.

"Your turn." He said to Sam, who looked astonished by the other male's decision.

'_Man! I've never seen that kart or that character before!_' He thought as he looked at the ghost. He shook his head and decided that he would be safer with his usual selection. He picked Wario, Koopa Troopa, and the Koopa King. The screen changed to the tracks listing. Izzy highlighted the Special Cup.

"Since you lost the coin toss earlier, you get to pick the first track." He said.

"Right." Sam said. "I'll pick my favorite track." He chose to start the competition with the Wario Colosseum track.

The screen faded and the two racers found themselves lined up side to side on a track that was designed like the Roman Colosseum. Lakitu appeared and started the countdown. When it ended, both players started the race with a Rocket Start.

'_Woah!_' Lars thought in surprise as both racers sped around the first turn, ramming into each other.

As they reached the first jump, Sam pulled ahead and got the first item box of the race. As the roulette started, Izzy used a Mini-Turbo to pull ahead. The blond tossed the fake item box he got ahead of him. The dark haired boy almost got hit, but he swerved out of the way at the last second. He hit the dash panels at the second jump and grabbed an item box. He got a green shell as the two drifted into the next turn.

'_Ugh! This thing's useless._' He thought as he tossed the shell forward. It careened off the track.

Sam and Izzy reached a row of item boxes. They both grabbed a double item box that was present. For Sam, Wario got a mushroom and Koopa Troopa got a red shell. For Izzy, Bowser got a banana peel and King Boo got…a bob-Omb!.?

"Huh?" Sam said as he noticed the explosive in the ghost's hand. '_Isn't that Wario and Waluigi's special?_'

As the two karts reached a huge ramp with dash panels, Izzy made King Boo toss the bob-Omb back. Sam narrowly avoided it as he made his characters switch. When the ramp ended, both karts flew through the air and landed inside a caged sphere. The road started spiraling down. Sam used his mushroom to get ahead of Izzy. The latter muttered to himself as he started drifting, setting up a Mini-Turbo in the process. When Sam's speed boost ended, he did the same thing.

The spiral soon ended and both players were heading towards a row of item boxes. Both of them made their characters switch to get new items. Wario got a green shell while King Boo got a red shell.

'_Gotcha!_' Izzy thought with a smirk. The road turned upwards and to the right, like part of a roller coaster. He made the ghost toss the shell, causing his characters to switch places again. The shell headed towards Sam.

"Oh no you don't!" He yelled as he fired the green shell backwards. The red projectile was deflected as his characters switched places.

Izzy got ahead as he hit some dash panels. Before he could get to the next row of boxes, Sam launched his red shell. Despite Izzy tossing his banana peel backwards, he got hit and Sam pulled ahead.

'_Alright!_' He cheered inwardly as he got three green shells from an item box. The track started to spiral a little, so Sam drifted into the sharp turn. As he neared the bottom of the sphere, an egg came from behind and struck him. A banana peel, mushroom, and green shell flew out of it. Izzy sped past.

'_What's the deal? Isn't the egg Yoshi and Birdo's special?_' Lars thought as he continued watching.

As the racers went into a hard right turn, they hit another row of item boxes. Because Sam still had one green shell remaining, he didn't get a new item. Izzy got a fake item box. He tossed it behind him as he reached the bottom of the track. There were three ways to go: Left, right, or ahead over a small jump. Izzy went towards the middle. He hit a ramp that had a dash panel on it and was launched into the air. He hit an item box that was floating and landed on the other side of the hole, hitting another dash panel as well.

'_Ha! I can do that shortcut too!_' Sam thought as he too went over the jump. He got a spiny shell from the box and tossed it just before landing on the other dash panel.

"Oh crap…" Izzy said out loud as the winged shell closed in and collided, sending his team into the air. Sam passed by, but not before smacking the brunet's team with a red shell. The dark haired boy used a quick Mini-Turbo to catch up.

When he went over the last jump in the course, he got a star, which he used immediately. Sam crossed the finish line and started the second and final lap (Wario Colosseum has only two laps). Shortly after, he was rammed into by Izzy, who was still invincible. The blond spun out and used a Mini-Turbo to speed up.

After the first jump, Sam got a bob-Omb from the item box. He switched to save it as he struggled to catch up to the elder Yaoi Brother. After the second jump, he got a star of his own. He used it to pass by Izzy as they reached the huge ramp. Sam tossed the bob-Omb back just before he jumped into the caged sphere. Izzy avoided the bomb as he followed.

After the spiral run, King Boo got a triple red shell. Izzy made the ghost fire one. It got Sam flawlessly, but he was still too far ahead. Izzy fired another one that detained the blond long enough for him to pull ahead.

"Hey, what's the deal?" Lars asked. "Only Koopa and Paratroopa can get triple shells." Izzy chuckled as he paused the game.

"It's quite simple. King Boo and his counterpart, Petey Piranha, can get any special in the game. _That's_ why I got three red shells to use."

"Well, _that_ explains it." Sam said with a gulp as the other boy unpaused the game.

He hit the dash panels after the roller coaster turn and got his own triple red shell. He got Izzy with one. He fired another one, but the other boy blocked it with his remaining shell. Sam caught up after hitting Izzy's kart with _his_ final shell. Izzy used a Mini-Turbo as they reached the second spiral. They both drifted around it. Both racers were now very close to each other.

'_Hmmm… He's not doing so bad._' Izzy thought as they reached the set of item boxes before the sphere's bottom. '_I gotta make sure I win._'

He pulled ahead as he reached the jump at the chasm. He hit the dash panel and got a mushroom from the lone item box. After he landed and used the other dash panel, he used the fungus and entered an alcove. Sam followed suit and launched the red shell he got from the jump. It hit Izzy just before he could reached some item boxes. Sam sped by.

'_Grrr… He's too close._' Izzy thought as he growled. He hit an item box and gave a small laugh as a lightning bolt materialized into King Boo's hand. He used it just as Sam reached the last jump of the race. The blond's team was shrunk as they fell into the gap. Izzy raced past him and won the race.

"Hmph. Looks like I won. Not that it was unexpected, of course." He bragged. Sam glared at him. "Hey, look on the bright side. Since you lost, you can pick the next track again."

"Fine." The blond hissed. He made the screen go back to the track listing. He highlighted the Special Cup and picked the Bowser's Castle course.

The screen faded and our racers found themselves at the entrance to a castle. The entranceway was made in the image of Bowser's head. Lightning struck and thunder boomed as Lakitu appeared to start the race.

"Remember, if you lose this race, you'll lose the challenge and will be banned from coming here for a week." Izzy said with a defiant smirk. Sam scowled at him.

"I know that!" He growled as he gripped the controller. The brunet turned back to the screen with a grin. Lakitu started the countdown. When it ended, both boys performed perfect Rocket Starts and zoomed forward.

'_Man, they're good. I hope I'll be able to do this well in tomorrow's race._' Lars thought.

The Parade Kart and the Koopa King crossed the small wooden bridge and entered the castle. After they ascended a small flight of stairs, they got the first items of the race. The path also spilt in two. Izzy went to the left as King Boo received a fake item box. Sam went to the right as Koopa Troopa got a mushroom. Both of them hugged the walls as they traveled to avoid the falling thwomps. Izzy pulled ahead as they entered a new hall with two thwomps.

Sam used the mushroom and crashed into Izzy. The force of the blow caused King Boo to drop the fake item box. Koopa Troopa grabbed it and tossed it back. Izzy got hit and electricity crackled around the kart, stopping it for a bit. The brunet was unable to move fast enough and thus got whomped by one of the stony guardians.

While Izzy was busy trying to get inflated, Sam got through the hall and entered a room full of lava. Big fireballs leapt out and flew through the road, which was a grating at the moment. Sam was able to get through the area, getting a stack of green shells in the process. He hit a ramp and jumped onto a spiral, which he drifted up. When he reached the top, he used a Mini-Turbo to enter a room that had several huge fireballs spinning around the middle. He navigated through the room and got outside. He went up a hill and turned left. He went up another hill and hit some item boxes.

Before he could get an item though, he got hit by a spiny shell. As he was sent flying, Izzy sped under him and entered a room with a huge flight of stairs. Sam landed and followed him. At the end of the room, a giant statue of Bowser was shooting fireballs from its mouth. It kept moving back and forth. Izzy weaved around the fireballs and hit a double item box. King Boo got a giant banana peel while Bowser got a green shell. As Sam reached the item boxes, he noticed the other boy's team jump a small gap and get further ahead.

'_A shortcut! I never knew about that one._' He thought as he also hit a double item box. Wario got a red shell and Koopa Troopa got a lightning bolt. Sam grinned as he followed the other boy's team.

As Izzy reached a ramp, he dropped the giant banana peel. Before he was able to make the jump, Sam used the lightning bolt and shrunk him. The dark haired boy lost his shell and fell into the moat surrounding the castle. The blond pulled ahead and started the second lap as Izzy was placed back on the course. He started the next lap as well.

Sam got into the entrance hall and went past the first set of thwomps. As he started going towards the second set, the red shell alarm activated. He defended against Izzy's attack by tossing his own red shell back. The dark haired boy caught up as they entered the lava room. The dueling pair got some items as they reached the ramp and started going up the spiral. Izzy grumbled as he tossed back the fake item box he got. Sam switched to save the banana peel he received.

'_That makes sense. I better remember to save items tomorrow._' Lars thought. Both of the other boys reached the room with the revolving fireballs.

As they drove past them, they got new items. Sam got a green shell as Izzy got a red one. Sam tossed the shell back and hit Izzy. As he got outside and prepared to hit another set of boxes, Izzy's red shell struck him. Sam was detained as the other boy caught up and passed him.

After the blond got back to normal speed, he followed Izzy into the room with the fireball launcher. He got a red shell and fired it just as the dark haired boy was getting ready to use the shortcut. Izzy was knocked into a lava pit as Sam utilized the shortcut. The former was placed back on the track as the latter went across the ramp and began the final lap.

'_You gotta be kidding me!_' Izzy thought in astonishment as he tried to catch up.

Before he reached the ramp, he got a double item box. He received both a star and a spiny shell. As he landed and prepared to start the final lap, he tossed the shell and activated the star. He sped fearlessly past the thwomps and entered the lava room. Sam was being lowered back onto the track. He had gotten hit by the spiny shell as he was making the jump. Both of them went across the ramp and up the spiral.

They entered the fireball room and got some item boxes, again. As soon as they reached the outside area, Sam unleashed the bob-Omb he just got, knocking Izzy into the air. He went around the next turn and switched with Koopa Troopa. Sam got triple green shells from one of the boxes and launched them all backwards. Izzy got hit again as the blond entered the final room. He navigated through the area and defeated the older Yaoi Brother by at least ten seconds. The crowd gasped and murmured at the results. The boy in question gaped in disbelief.

"I…lost…" He said, bowing his head. "I actually lost a race…"

"So where's all your talk now?" Sam asked with a smirk. Izzy growled before recollecting himself.

"Hmph. So you won a race against me. Big deal. We still got one more to do."

"Well, go ahead and pick. If I remember correctly, the _loser_ gets to pick." The blond said with heavy emphasis on "loser."

"Fine." Izzy replied. He got back to the tracks listing.

'_Woah. I never saw the Squid act like that._' Lars thought, looking at the boy in question. He shrugged. '_Makes sense though. I'd be the same exact way if anybody made fun of my relationship with Otto. That is, if I get with him after tomorrow._'

'_He thinks he's so tough!_' Izzy thought, scowling at Sam. He turned back to the screen. '_Well, I have not yet begun to fight. Let's see him get through **my** favorite course!_'

And he made his decision. As they raced, Lars gaped at the sight of the racetrack. It was extremely colorful. It had plenty of twists and turns. The music was top notch too.

'_Wow… It's so beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Otto…_'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Sam!" Otto and Reggie yelled as they ran up to the blond and Lars. They and Izzy had just gotten back from the seventh floor. Izzy walked slowly towards the counter.

"Iggy?" He said. The rest of the group turned to him.

"Yes brother?" Iggy asked. The older brother pointed at Sam.

"Give him a coupon to play any game for free for a month." Everybody else gasped.

"You mean…?" The Rockets said, looking at Sam, who was grinning.

"You **LOST!.?.!**" Iggy demanded to his brother, who nodded grimly.

"Don't make a big deal about it." He said. He turned towards the others. "He deserved it. Anyone who could fight for the one he loves definitely deserved to win." His brother handed him a slip of paper, which he then gave to Sam.

"Congratulations. Please take this prize and my humble apologies for insulting you earlier."

"No problem." Sam replied as he put the coupon into his pocket.

"Please take good care of him." Izzy continued as he turned to Reggie. "People who care for you as much as he does don't come along often." The violet haired girl held her boyfriend's hand and squeezed.

"You got it." Izzy nodded and faced Otto.

"And you, I'm sorry about earlier as well. You can come into the arcade."

"You mean it?" Otto asked. Izzy nodded.

"It was the other thing Sam wanted for beating me. Go on and enjoy the games." He answered. The redhead said nothing as he, Reggie, and Sam walked down the stairs and towards the elevator.

"Aren't you coming, Lars?" Reggie asked as she turned to the older brunet, who was deep in thought.

"Huh?" He asked as he looked up. "Nah. Go ahead. I gotta go home, anyway." He started walking towards the exit. "See you tomorrow, Otto."

"Yeah! You better get ready to lose!" Otto yelled. Lars waved as he left.

'_Man, that last course was so cool! I know what to race Otto on tomorrow!_' He thought as he continued home.

Back at the arcade…

"I can't believe you actually lost." Iggy said.

"Drop it, brat." Izzy replied as he took his place behind the counter.

"So what track did you lose to him on?"

"It was my favorite track." Izzy replied. Iggy gasped.

"_That _one? He beat you on the track that only expert players can get through without falling!.?"

"I said drop it already! Sheesh!" Izzy yelled. He looked towards the front door. "I just hope that Lars guy learned something from the races and beats that guy tomorrow."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Post-chapter Conversation

"IT'S NOT FAIR!.!.!" Izzy screamed as he banged on the floor. "HOW COULD I LOSE TO HIM, **AGAIN!.?.!.?.!**"

"Well, it's like what you said." I started with a shrug. "He deserved it for fighting for the one he loves." Izzy glared at me.

"What makes you think I was serious!.?.! I shoulda won that!.!.!"

"He's also the greatest action hero in this dimension, remember?"

"Yeah! It should've been obvious that you were gonna mess up!" Iggy agreed. Izzy glared at him.

"Freakin' suck up." He muttered. I turned to the camera.

"Anyway, what track is Lars going to play Otto on? What did Izzy lose to Sam on?" The guy in question sobbed uncontrollably. "Will Lars get with the boy of his dreams? Find out next time in the final chapter!" I waved at the camera.


	8. Epilogue

Pre-chapter Conversation

"Well, it's that time again." I started. "We're at the final chapter of the fic!"

"It's about time." Izzy said.

"Yay! Yay! Yay! It's the moment of truth!" Iggy cheered, dancing around. His brother raised an eyebrow at him before leaning towards me.

"Uhhh Boss, if this is the final chapter, what happens to him?" He whispered, pointing at Iggy. I shrugged.

"Beats me. It would suck to just forget about him, but that's how it goes, I suppose." Izzy sighed with relief.

"Thank God I won't have to deal with this psycho again."

"Unless I come up with an idea that involves him." I corrected with an evil smirk. My partner groaned. I turned to the camera. "Anyway, we'll see ya Monday with our next fic. Til then, enjoy this chapter." My eyes widened when I remembered something.

"By the way, to Mythica Ruathahold, there actually _was_ a Mario cartoon (actually three). They were out ten or so years ago. One of the cartoons was based on Super Mario Bros. 1 and 2, another (the best one, in my opinion) was based on Super Mario Bros. 3, and the last one was based on Super Mario World. Bowser was called 'King Koopa' in them. But you _are_ right. Dr. Robotnik _does_ have one up on him. _He's_ in an animé."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Race across Rainbows

Epilogue

The Final Race

Later that night…

"Hey, I got an e-mail." Otto said to himself. He was on the computer in his room. The screen provided the only light. He clicked open the e-mail and read.

_Hey Ottoman! I'm having a blast in Hawaii. Wish u guys coulda come. How r things holding up over there? Is Lars acting crazy? lol! I bet u 2 r probably fighting like old times, huh? Anyway, here r some pictures from my trip. Keoni helped me figure out how to send stuff. Enjoy and say hi to every1 for me! I should be back next week._

_Twister_

_P.S: Keoni says hi._

"You don't know the half of it, bro." Otto said with a sigh.

He was about to delete the e-mail when he stopped himself and moved the mouse cursor to the download command. He clicked on it and several pictures displayed on screen.

They all showed Twister and Keoni doing something together. Surfing, biking, blading, and wind surfing among other sports. Otto gave a dejected sigh at the sight of the last picture. It showed Twister standing on the beach. Keoni was behind him and had his arms around the other boy's waist. He was kissing Twister on the cheek. The taller boy had his right eye closed and a grin on his face. He was also giving the camera a peace sign. They both seemed really happy together. Makes sense. They've been together for years. The auburn haired boy gave an unenthusiastic chuckle.

"I bet he sent that one on accident. Wouldn't surprise me one bit."

He deleted the e-mail and the attachment. Shortly after, he felt tears coming to his eyes. He took off his sunglasses and wiped them.

"What's with me? Why am I suddenly crying?"

'_Because you're jealous._' A voice inside his head said.

"Me? Jealous of Twist and Keoni? Yeah right."

'_Liar._' The voice taunted. Otto shut down the computer and sat on his bed. He was bathed in the darkness of the night.

"But…" He sighed. "Oh man, I _am_ jealous. I wish I had someone like how Twist does."

'_But you do._'

"Oh yeah right. Who could I possibly have?"

'_Well… Lars, for starters._'

"What!.?" Otto hissed at the voice. "Are you crazy!.? First of all, I'm not like that. Second, even if I was, why would I want anything to do with _him_?"

'_Because you love him._'

"No, I don't." He said uncertainly.

'_Sure doesn't sound like it._' The voice mocked.

"I'm telling you, I don't."

'_Whatever you say._'

"I don't love him. Not in the least bit." Otto said firmly as he laid down. "Not at all…" He yawned. After a few moments, his eyelids grew heavy. He soon fell asleep with thoughts of tomorrow's race on his mind.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Alright! This rules!" Otto cheered.

He was blading on a rainbow-colored street. It was currently night. He skated up a ramp, jumped off, and flipped in the air. He soon landed and skated on, increasing his speed. He soon started skating along a spiral that was going up. He soon found himself skating along a wall.

"What the—? I'll fall!"

He kept going, trying not to think about falling towards the city below. Just as he was about to get out of the spiral, a hissing sound filled his ears. He turned and gasped. A spiny shell was heading right for him!

"Ahhhhhhhh!.!.! Stay away!" Otto yelled at the winged shell. It didn't seem to respond as it got close to the skater and exploded, sending him flying. He was falling towards the street when suddenly, it disappeared!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!" He screamed as he fell hundreds of feet.

He was nearing one of the buildings when he was grabbed by something.

"Don't worry. I got you." A soothing voice said. Otto opened his eyes and looked at his savior.

"Wha…?" He said with wide eyes.

It was Lars. He wasn't wearing a shirt and had wings growing out of his back. Otto wrapped his arms around the other's waist and leaned into the warmth. Lars lowered his head and captured the younger boy's lips in a kiss. Otto closed his eyes in ecstasy as he deepened it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Otto gasped as he shot up.

"Oh man… What was that?" He looked around and found himself back in his room. He laid his head on his pillow and stared at the ceiling.

"Oh… Just a dream. That was the weirdest one of all." He held his forehead as he looked out the window. He saw the sun rising over the horizon.

"I gotta get ready." He got out of bed and left to get prepared for the race.

Across the street…

"It's time." Lars said as he got up and walked over to the bathroom.

To say he was nervous was an understatement. He was just moments away from either claiming the fiery haired boy of his dreams or losing everything. If he wins, he may discover the one thing that'll make Otto his. On the other hand, _he_ could lose and be forced to pour his heart out to his crush, only to possibly get crushed himself. It can honestly go either way. It gets even more complicated though. What if Otto's worst secret _isn't_ that he's gay or bi? What if it's something entirely different? Then Lars would be no closer to getting with him than he was at the beginning of this whole ordeal. He would've wasted all this time training for nothing; just another competition to add to their record of fights.

He gulped as he stepped into the bathtub. After he took a shower, he brushed his teeth and rinsed with the best mouthwash money could buy. As he gargled the greenish liquid, his eyes teared up and he hopped around the room. A few more seconds passed before he spit out the offending substance into the faucet.

"Ahhh!.!.! Ugh! It burns whenever I use this stuff!" He yelled just before rinsing his mouth out with cold water. He spit it out, grabbed a bottle of cologne, and applied some to his neck.

"I gotta make sure I look presentable for Otto today."

After dealing with the cologne and putting on some deodorant, he brushed his hair and put on his usual clothes. Ironed, of course.

"I hope that I win and he'll be mine."

With Otto…

"I hope I don't look too bad." Otto said to himself as he washed his face. "But why do I want to look good for, anyway? It's Lars, after all." He shrugged. After he finished brushing his teeth and putting on his clothes, he walked back to the bathroom and started brushing his hair.

"Hmmm… Maybe I should try a new style." He took off his headband and tied his dreadlocks into a ponytail. "There. Perfect."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was twelve o'clock as Lars walked over to the Rockets' house. He gulped nervously as he knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Reggie came to the door.

"Hey Reg." He said.

"Hey." Reggie replied. She walked out. "I'm going out with Sam. See you later and good luck."

"Thanks." Lars said before entering the house. He walked into the living room. "Otto?"

"Over here." Otto's voice replied.

Lars walked into the kitchen and gasped at the sight of the love of his life. He was especially impressed with the way the younger boy's hair looked. He looked positively beautiful.

'_So **that's** how he looks with his hair set up like that._' He thought. He considered running over and rubbing the other boy's head, but stopped himself. '_Not yet._'

'_Wow. **He** looks good today._' Otto thought, looking at the brunet. He shook his head and slapped himself mentally. '_Not now! I have to beat him._'

Everything was silent for a few minutes before he spoke up.

"So… Do you want anything?" He asked, moving over to the fridge.

'_He's offering me something…_' Lars thought with a dreamy sigh. He quickly shook his head. "Ummm… Some orange juice would be nice."

Otto nodded and grabbed a carton from the fridge. He then poured some of the yellow substance into a cup. He handed it to the other boy, who took it graciously. The redhead blushed as he felt the other's fingers brush against his own. He cleared his throat.

"So how are we doing this?" He asked as he sat down at the table. Lars followed suit.

"I was thinking we do just one race in any course we choose. We use 150cc engines." He replied, trying to avoid the other's gaze. He didn't notice, but Otto was avoiding his sight as well.

"That sounds alright." He said.

After they finished up in the kitchen, they moved to the living room. Otto turned on the Gamecube and got everything set up in the game. All that was left was for the two to pick their characters and karts.

"I'll go first." The redhead said. He picked his usual team of Mario, Yoshi, and the Waluigi Racer.

"That dinosaur looks cute." Lars commented. '_Just like you._' He added inwardly. He picked Donkey Kong, Waluigi, and the Wario Car. Otto gulped at the sight of the plumber, but maintained his cool. The tracks listing displayed.

"You pick." The younger one said, trying hard not to turn towards the other boy. Lars blushed as he moved the cursor around.

'_Hmmm… I guess I'll pick that course Squid beat Izzy on yesterday._' He thought. '_That course looked perfect. Hopefully, Otto will like it._' He went into the Special Cup and made his decision.

"Rainbow Road?" Otto asked, reading the screen with an eyebrow raised. "Weird name for a course." He shrugged. "But, if that's your decision, then whatever."

The screen faded and both players found themselves on a rainbow-colored street. They were above a city. It was a starry night. There were rainbow-colored statues of items floating in the air. The redhead gasped at the course.

'_This is just like…_' He shook his head. '_No. Couldn't be._'

"Are you alright?" Lars asked with concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Otto replied before putting on a mask of bravado. "Come on! I'll beat you and then you'll tell me your secret!" Lars blinked before he put on the same expression.

"Fine! But _I'm _gonna win!" He yelled back.

Lakitu floated over to start the race. The first light turned on.

'_I gotta win this._' Lars thought.

The second light turned on.

'_There's no way I'm gonna lose!_' Otto thought as he tightened his grip on the controller.

The third light came on.

'_I have to win._' They both thought.

The final light turned on and both of them sped ahead with a Rocket Start.

°Lars' POV°

Finally! All my training at that arcade has come down to this. If I beat Otto, I'll find out once and for all if he's gay or not. If he is, I hope that we can start a relationship. But if I lose, then he'll find out that I love him and I can't risk him finding out and rejecting me.

Anyway, our karts shot out forward. Almost immediately, we reached a dash panel that I almost didn't even notice because of how colorful the track is. We were sent into the air and landed on a slope. We soon reached the first set of item boxes as Otto pulled ahead. I didn't bother to look at what he got because I was trying to avoid falling. I forgot that parts of the course don't have railings to protect against falling. I got a fake item box as I drifted around the first turn. I almost fell off the edge, but I hung on.

I tossed the item box behind me as I reached another hard turn. I drifted to the right and went through an item box. I finally got something useful. A red shell. I tossed it and passed Otto when he got hit. I hit a skinny dash panel that sent me into the air again. When I landed, he sped along another, longer dash pad. I noticed Otto coming behind me as I reached another long dash panel that sent me into a small jump. He caught up to me as we landed and started going towards an upwards spiral that got kinda vertical. I heard Otto gasp.

°Otto's POV°

Oh my God! That's the same spiral I fell off in my dream! Was that a premonition or something? But what about the part that involved Lars? I gave a quick glance towards him. I saw him give me a confused look before turning back to the TV. I shook my head.

'_Focus!_' I thought as I turned back to the game as well. I hit a dash panel as the spiral started. I hugged the inside as much as possible as I sped along. Parts of the spiral didn't have any walls, so I could fly off if I'm not careful.

Luckily, I got through that area and wound up in first place. Lars was right behind me as I hit an item box. Yoshi got an egg as I moved around this new area. It was shaped like a snake and there were no walls. About halfway through this section, a shooting star landed on the track and revealed a star that I can use. I would've gotten it, but Lars hit me with a red shell, making me tumble and almost fall off the track! I hit the brake and stopped myself from going too far. I sighed and tried to catch up to him. After passing the S curve, I hit three dash panels before going up this huge pipe.

°Lars' POV°

"Woah! Now _this_ is major air!" Otto yelled.

Since I was still going up the pipe, I decided to take a look at him. He was grinning and looking at the screen with wide eyes. It brought a smile to my face to see him so happy. But what was bothering him earlier? I shook my head and got back to the race.

My kart got out of the pipe and reached a pretty bumpy area. It was full of dash panels. The kart landed on a big panel and was sent forward. I moved around, trying to hit as many dash panels as possible. Just as I was reaching a ramp, a star appeared on the track. I quickly grabbed it and became invincible. I hit the ramp, jumped over a gap, and landed at the top of a downwards spiral that went around a giant star. As my invincibility ended, I got to the bottom of the spiral and started the second lap.

°Otto's POV°

'_Crap! He's ahead of me._' I thought as I reached the spiral at the end of the track. I hit one of the item boxes and got a spiny shell. I tossed it as I reached the end and started the next lap. He got hit, but he was still far away from me. I can't lose this!

But wait… What am I getting so worked up for? I mean yeah, I know that I gotta win because I'm Otto Rocket, but even if by some miracle, he _does_ beat me, what's there to worry about? I don't even have a terrible secret, remember?

Anyway, I hit the first dash panel and landed a few feet ahead. I got to the first row of item boxes and got a star. I couldn't use it here though because I might fall off the edge. I switched characters to save it. Mario was now in back as Yoshi drove. Speaking of which, why did Lars say he was cute earlier? That doesn't sound like something _he'd_ say. Whatever. It's too bad he couldn't say that about me. Ugh! Not now!

Moving on, I got past the first sharp turn and got a fireball out of the second bunch of boxes. I then went along the huge dash panels. When I got to the part before the spiral from my dream, I tossed the fireballs. Unfortunately, they missed Lars completely. My characters switched and I activated the star. My kart glowed yellow as I started going up the spiral. As I was moving along the dash panels, I started to lose control. The star was making me go too fast! I went over the edge! This is just like that dream! My half of the screen blacked out after a few seconds and my kart was brought back to the track by one of those cloud guys.

That didn't happen in my dream…

°Lars' POV°

"Where are you, my angel?" I heard Otto say in almost a whisper.

I almost snapped my head at the sadness present in his voice. He looked extremely close to crying. I raised an eyebrow. _Him_? Crying over a video game? No. It must be something more than that. Whatever it is, he looked close to cracking. I wish I could just hold him in my arms and tell him it's alright, but I couldn't. We were still racing, after all.

He soon caught up to me as we left the spiral. I hit an item box and got a bob-Omb. I tossed it back. Luckily, he was able to avoid it before it exploded. I know that I gotta beat him, but after hearing the grief he was going through, I wouldn't want him to feel any worse. We soon got through the S curve and went into the pipe.

°Otto's POV°

Oh man! What was that about? I can't believe I just said that out loud! I hope Lars didn't hear. He would've asked and then I would've had to tell him everything. The dream, the thoughts about him, the way that shirt of his compliments his body tone, his beautiful hair, his—Oh crap… So that's it. That's what my worst secret is. I'm gay. But not just that, I love Lars. I _love_ LARS! My rival for almost ten years! I'm in love with him! I want to feel his arms around me. I want to kiss him all day long. I want to hold him! I want to go on long walks with him under the full moon! You get the idea. I want to be with him!

But wait… He can't know! I know that we're not kids anymore, but if he finds out, it's over! He'll spread the news all over town and everybody will think I'm a freak. Him especially. My life will officially end. I have to beat him!

By now, we got out of the pipe and started speeding along the bumpy area. I hit as many dash panels as possible and got ahead of him. We reached the ramp and jumped towards the spiral. I drifted to the right to get a double item box. As I started sliding, I noticed that I got another fireball and a banana peel. I charged up a Mini-Turbo as I launched the fireballs backwards. Lars' kart got hit and he started spinning out. My characters switched places as I started the final lap.

°Lars' POV°

Holy crap! He already started the final lap! I did a Mini-Turbo to get my speed up as I crossed the finish line to start the last lap. After I got past the dash panel and through the first turn, I tossed the spiny shell I got. As I got a bob-Omb, I quickly looked down and noticed that Otto finally got hit. He didn't sound too pleased when I passed him. I got to the beginning of the spiral as I dropped the bomb behind me. It exploded and my love got hit again.

"Ugh!" He grunted. I couldn't help but grin as I used the dash panels to get up the spiral. Just before I was able to get out of it, Otto used a lightning bolt. I spun out as I shrunk and flew off the edge.

"Yes!" He cheered. I growled. That little—

"Oh yeah? This race isn't over til one of us crosses that finish line and I'm gonna cross it first!" I yelled as my team was lowered back on the track.

Otto passed me as I started going through the S curve. A shooting star hit the track near the end of the curve. I was able to grab the star that appeared and just barely pulled ahead of the redhead as we entered the pipe and was shot up into the air. My invincibility ended as we got out of the pipe and landed on the huge dash panel.

°Third person POV°

'_Yes! I'm almost there!_' Lars cheered in his mind as he went through the last straightaway before the last jump.

'_Damn! I have to catch up!_' Otto screamed inwardly as he drove over as many dash panels as possible.

The two soon reached the jump and went over the gap. Both of the boys' hearts started racing as fast as the karts. They both hit an item box in a last ditch effort to pull ahead. The boy with the dreadlocks got a red shell, which he used immediately. Lars got hit, but he recovered with the mushroom he got from the box. Both boys were neck and neck as they started drifting into the turn.

'_I'm gonna win! I'm gonna win!_' Lars thought happily. His eyes widened. '_Wait… I shouldn't end it like this._'

'_I'm so close!_' Otto thought with gritted teeth. His eyes also widened. '_I can't end it like this._'

Their karts were nearing the finish line.

'_If we were meant to be together, he has to know._' The brunet thought.

'_If I expect to be with him, I have to be honest._' The auburn haired boy thought.

'_I have to lose!_' They both thought at the same time.

The karts were mere seconds away. Otto pushed the B button to stop his kart. Lars also pushed the brakes. Unfortunately for the brunet, he pushed the button a split second too late and crossed the finish line.

Lars had won the race.

Both of the young adults were panting after that. Their eyes were wide at the results. No matter what, they couldn't change a thing. None of them spoke. They just stared at the screen, mouths agape. After a few minutes, Otto looked away. Lars watched his movements. He wanted to comfort him. He wanted to hold him in his arms and stop the suffering. But he couldn't. He had to know first.

"O-Otto?" He tried. The other male sniffed. His body started shaking. "Come on. It's alright."

"No it's not!" Otto yelled. He sobbed. "It'll never be alright!"

"Just calm down. You don't want Reggie or your dad to see you like this." Otto just kept up the water works. Lars sighed, not seeing any other way to help. He wanted to race him to try to win his heart. If hurting him was a requirement, he wanted no part in it.

"Look. You don't have to tell me your secret if you don't want to." He said, getting up to go to the kitchen. "I'll just get a glass of water for you."

"Wait." Otto said shakily. Lars turned towards him and gasped. Despite crying for about a minute or two, he looked awful. Tears were running down the side of his face. Though he was barely able to see through the other boy's sunglasses, he noticed that his eyes were bloodshot.

"Otto…"

"Hear me out." Otto sniffed. He wiped his eyes. "A deal's a deal. You beat me, so I gotta tell you my worst secret."

Lars sat down at the couch again. The music from the game was long forgotten. The redheaded skater took a deep breath.

"Lars, I'm gay." He finally said. Lars showed no distinct response, though Otto saw something sparkle in his eyes. "That's not all though." He took another breath.

What came next was truly a shock for both boys to hear.

"I love you."

It was said almost to himself, but Lars heard it loud and clear. He grinned and started moving towards Otto, but he stopped himself when he noticed the redhead moving towards the door.

"Otto?"

"So now you know." Otto said, opening the door. "Go on. Tell the whole town everything! Ruin my life!" He broke down on the floor and covered his eyes. Lars quickly ran over and closed the door. He knelt besides Otto.

"Otto, it's ok. Chill." He comforted. He wrapped his arms around the eighteen year-old. Otto cried into Lars' chest as he wrapped his arms around him. "Shhh… It's alright." Lars felt Otto's lips moving against his chest. He pulled the boy away. "What?"

"Why…?" Otto sniffed. "Why aren't you running?" Lars rubbed his back.

"I'd never run away from you." He answered, embracing Otto again. "Listen. I'll tell you my most kept secret."

"But what about the bet?" Otto asked, pulling away.

"Forget about it. I was planning to tell you this anyway." Lars took a deep breath. "Otto, I'm bi." Otto's eyes widened.

"Y-You are?" The older male nodded.

"There's something else." He took another breath. "Te quiero también." Otto raised an eyebrow.

"What? What does that mean?"

He didn't get an answer though. Lars removed his sunglasses and cupped his face in his hand. He then seized the younger boy's lips in a passionate kiss. They both embraced again. They ran their hands over each other's backs as they deepened it, tasting each other's tongue. They soon separated for air. They stared at each other with a warm look in their eyes.

"Woah…" Otto said dizzily.

"Wow…" Lars said in the same tone. He felt his lips. "You're some kisser." Otto blushed.

"Thanks. Same to you. It sure felt better than in any dream."

"Dream? You were dreaming about me?" Lars asked. Otto looked away again.

"Yeah… Not to mention you were on my mind every single damn day. It took up until that race for me to realize the truth."

They kissed again.

"Otto, I love you with all my heart and soul. Will you be my boyfriend?" Lars asked as they separated. Otto's eyes sparkled.

"Of course I will." He replied. They leaned in for another kiss. They separated and the redhead ran his hand through the other's hair after taking off his hat. "Your hair feels so smooth." Lars chuckled at the compliment and returned the gesture.

"That reminds me. You look great with your hair set up like that."

"You think?"

"Oh yeah. You should wear it like that all the time."

"I like my usual style better." Otto said. They stared into each other's eyes.

"Well maybe we can compromise."

"So, do you want to play again?" Otto asked, standing up and moving over to the couch. Lars stood up and put his hat back on.

"Actually, I would prefer it if we never play that game ever again." He said as he walked over and turned off the TV. He joined his new boyfriend on the couch.

"How come?"

"I went through hell trying to get good at that game. I even started seeing things from it!" The brunet answered. "I saw a freakin' spiny shell when it was just a frisbee."

"It's not as bad as me. I wiped out when I saw a Bowser shell while surfing! They were really just a bunch of surfboards."

They both laughed at that one and embraced again.

"So what do you want to do?"

"How about the movies?" Otto asked. Lars faked a gasp.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Otto couldn't help but grin.

"Sure. My treat. You in?"

"You bet." Lars replied.

They gave each other a quick peck on the lips and got up to leave.

"Hmmm… I wonder what Twist and the others will think about seeing us together."

"They better get used to it because I refuse to let you go for anything." The brunet answered as he linked his fingers with Otto's.

They both grinned as they left the house to go to the movie theater and to start their new relationship.

**THE END**

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Post-story Conversation

"Alright! I finally got this done!" I cheered, punching the air.

"Yep." Izzy said, nodding and crossing his arms. "It took long enough for them to have their first kiss." Iggy's eyes widened.

"First…kiss?.! First kiss!.? **First kiss!.?**" He yelled. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yea… First kiss. What's the deal?" I asked confusedly. Iggy turned to Izzy.

"Brother, Reggie was supposed to give us that picture!" The older brother gasped.

"What!.?.! How could you forget?"

"How could _I_ forget!.?" Iggy yelled, glaring at him. "What about you!.?"

As they went back and forth, I sighed and held my forehead.

"Idiots…"

"Oh great." Iggy started with teary eyes. "Now I won't get that kiss from her."

"WHAT!.?.! She was gonna give you a kiss!.?.!" Izzy roared. He grabbed his mallet. "Get over here!" He swung it.

"Ahhh!.!.!" The younger boy yelled as he ducked. "Leave me alone!" He ran away. Izzy gave chase.

"I'll show ya to make deals behind my back!" He screamed, trying to hit Iggy in the background.

"Oy…" I groaned, slapping my forehead. I then turned to the camera. "Anyway, til next time, see ya!" I waved at it.

(Note: Just so ya know, "Te quiero también" means "I love you too" in Spanish.)


End file.
